pursuing spiritual health

Chris, prior to his current diet.

I’m a tad overweight. I mean, 320 lbs is fat by anyone’s standards.

Yet this fat preacher has lost an estimated 12 pounds in the last two-plus weeks. “Estimated” because I really don’t know where I started due to the fact I never weigh myself. (And no, I’m not really 320—it just sounded funny to me.)

Even though I feel better, look better and have lost a notch in my belt, it’s still a bit frustrating. You see, all I eat each day is a protein shake, chicken soup, some saltines and a small fruit salad. While that may seem like a lot to you, in my view I’m virtually starving myself.

Translated: “What’s the deal? Why haven’t I lost twice that much considering what I’m eating (or not eating)?”

Not that I’m angry or bitter about it…

And in case you’re wondering, yes, I’m hungry. In fact, I’m hungry every waking minute and can’t wait until I get to slam down yet another bowl of—gag!—chicken soup.

Will I stay on this diet forever? Heavens no. But ever since the flu ravaged my body I’ve been on a roll and decided to go with what works. God willing, hopefully I’ll get the flu again so I can lose weight faster.

Why do I share all this? It seems like a good time to remind all of us that as important as watching what we eat and getting enough exercise can be, our spiritual health is more important.

“Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”1

I don’t know about you, but these verses challenge me because I spend a lot of time watching what I eat and exercising. While those are good things, the better thing is training myself to be godly.

In terms of application, how much time did you spend yesterday thinking about eating, preparing to eat and actually feeding yourself? And how much time did you spend on the treadmill, exercise bike or at the gym?

Now ask yourself how much time you spent reading your Bible, meditating on the things of God and praying.

As you compare the two numbers, which is higher? If you’re like me, I regularly spend more time on my physical health than my spiritual health.

Does that mean we’re somehow disobedient or ignoring our spiritual health? Of course not. Taking care of our physical bodies is a good thing. That said, what we discover may be just the reminder we need not to neglect our spiritual health at the expense of our physical health.

How does this apply to me? Not sure yet, but maybe I’ll read the Bible a little while I gulp down my next bowl of chicken soup. That way I’ll enrich myself spiritually and improve my physical health.

How does it apply to you? Only you (and the Lord) know the answer to that.

“Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things.”

1  1 Timothy 4:7-8