What Is Spirituality? (3 Of 7)

Sometimes this is the motivation for some to:

(1) DIET EACH DAY

Illus: Much has been said about diets, such as:

• It's something most of us do religiously: We eat what we want to eat, drink a diet coke and pray we don't gain weight

• Someone else said that the problem with curbing our appetites is that most of us do it at the drive in window of McDonald’s

• Someone else said that diets are for people who are thick, and tired of it

• Someone else said that a diet is when you have to go to some length to change your width

But many diet each day because they believe they can look like someone they want to look like if they just keep losing that weight.

Some want to be like someone else and this is why they-

(2) EXERCISE EACH DAY

Some folks have a warped view about diets and some also have a warped view about exercise.

Illus: Look what some have said about exercise:

• One man said, “I've been working out every day this week. My TV remote is broken, and getting up out of the chair 50 times a night is going to be the death of me yet.”

• One man said, “My idea of exercise is ripping the wrapper off the Baby Ruth Candy bar.”

• How can one believe in survival of the fittest when you look at some of the people running around in jogging shorts?

• One man said, “I gave up exercising when I broke my nose doing push-ups.”

• A genius said, “Fitness nuts are going to feel really stupid lying in a hospital bed some day dying of nothing.”

• A Preacher said, “These days, many people get their exercise by jumping to conclusions, flying off the handle, dodging responsibilities, bending the rules, running down everything, circulating rumors, passing the buck, stirring up trouble, shooting the bull, digging up dirt, slinging mud, throwing their weight around, beating the system, and pushing their luck.”

• An old beauty queen said, “My figure used to be my fame, and helped me get ahead. But that was fifteen years ago, and now my fame has spread.”

• An old man said, “When I was younger, I looked forward to getting up early in the morning to exercise. Now, getting out of bed in the morning is my exercise.”

• A fellow in this church said, that his idea of vigorous exercise is to lift his feet while his wife is vacuuming.

• An old lady said, “I get enough exercise by stumbling about a mile each day looking for my glasses.”

But there are a lot of folks who exercise daily because they want to look like someone that they admire greatly. They think by DIETING and EXERCISE they will be able to achieve this goal.

(3) SOME EVEN GO TO PLASTIC SURGEONS IN AN ATTEMPT TO LOOK LIKE SOMEONE ELSE

Illus: For example, Janet Reno went to a plastic Surgeon and asked him, “Can you make me beautiful?” He suggested she take up acting and that she ought to get a job on the television program called, “Mission Impossible!”

Illus: Groucho Marx said of one woman, "She got her looks from her father: He's a plastic surgeon."

We all find ourselves wanting to look like someone else. But a lot can be said for people who have learned to be content with who they are and what God has blessed them with.

WHILE WE SHOULD NOT TRY TO BE LIKE OTHERS, WE SHOULD TRY TO BE LIKE CHRIST!

Paul, said, in Gal. 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ: Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

Our heart's desire should be to be more like Him! Let’s look at some qualities that should be part of our lives:

Look at 2 Peter 1:1-11. He shows us things we should add to our FAITH each day to become more like Christ. We want to address each one of these, but in this sermon we want to examine -

I. THE QUALITY OF VIRTUE

Look at 2 Peter 1:5a, we read, “And beside this, giving all diligence, ADD TO YOUR FAITH VIRTUE…”

WHAT IS A VIRTUOUS PERSON? It is a person who practices MORAL EXCELLENCE! If we are going to be the SPIRITUAL PERSON that God wants us to be, we can not live an ungodly life.

A virtuous person is a person who has ADDED VIRTUE TO THEIR CHRISTIAN FAITH.

• For example, when we say a young woman is a virgin, we mean she is a young woman that has abstained from unlawful sexual behavior. She has the same temptations any woman has, but she does not cave in to temptation.