by Larry Hernandez For most of our lives, we have emphasized growing our souls, not always realizing that a lack of physical discipline can undercut and even erode spiritual growth. People often speak of wanting “hearts of gold,” an apt and vibrant metaphor, but I suggest an additional one. Let’s start speaking of “souls of silver.” Silver souls speak of a divine touch, souls that have been refined, purified, and made beautiful through a difficult, sometimes brutal, refining process. Silver is harder than gold and has the added benefit of possessing the highest thermal conductivity of any metal. Because silver is a little harder than gold, once it is pounded, it tends to hold its shape better (though such shaping takes that much more force). ”For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.” Psalm 66: 10 – 12 This speaks of a fierce but beautiful refining process that leads “to a place of abundance.” To get us there, the silversmith doesn’t just speak comfort and ease to his silver. He doesn’t massage it into shape. No. He puts it through the fire. He even beats it and hammers it until it becomes what he has designed it to be. The Bible declares that this is exactly what God does for his people. Consider: Zechariah 13: 9: “This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold.” Or Malachi 3: 3: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.”
The refinement process is as fierce as it is necessary. The goal is to be purified and refined for God’s service, just like silver: In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. 2 Timothy 2: 20 – 21 The reason I want to get in shape then, the reason I long for God’s church to get in shape, is not to impress anyone, not to make others feel inferior, not to demonstrate our own personal discipline and self-control. God forbid! On the contrary, it is to become, as Paul writes, “instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” Desiring a silver soul means that we stop treating our bodies like ornaments — with all the misguided motivations often displayed by those who build their bodies out of pride and ambition — and start treating our bodies like instruments, vessels set apart to serve the God who fashioned them. Whether we have strong or weak bodies, healthy or sick, overnourished or undernourished, lets begin moving from where we are now to more purposefully building bodies that function like instruments Excerpts taken from: Thomas, Gary L.; Thomas, Gary L.. Every Body Matters: Strengthening Your Body to Strengthen Your Soul (Kindle Locations 78-79). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
2 Comments
By Nick Parsons In CrossFit their slogan is “Forging Elite Fitness”. Fitness is defined as the condition of being physically fit and healthy. However, from a biblical view, it goes deeper than that. We learned a couple weeks back when Becca from Watermark WELL came and spoke, that from a biblical view, Surrendered Wellness is defined as stewardship of your body by trusting the Creator’s design of you, and then faithfully caring for that design. It is remembering how God gave you your body to steward. Consider these truths for Surrender Wellness or ChristFit as I would say. Romans 12:1 So what happens when we reject God’s design of our bodies and choose not to be faithful stewards of our temples He’s given us? One of the biggest killers to our health both physically and spiritually is laziness. According to the dictionary, the definition of lazy is disinclined to activity or exertion. One of the books I read during my time in WELL was called Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas. I’d like to share some excerpts from the chapter titled “The Silent Murderer”. According to the book Laziness is: · The great spiritual assassin of our time…It usually acts slowly, taking its time to carry out its venomous assault that often proves deadly. · Laziness is more than a sin – it’s an attitude that undercuts our sense of duty to God and our obligation to our neighbor, and an attitude that wastes our lives · Laziness is an attitude that puts one’s personal comfort above all else – if I don’t feel like it, why do it? If it’s uncomfortable, why bother? · Laziness undercuts the image of God. · Laziness is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, enemies of this pursuit. Another excerpt states, “An out of shape Christian loses the will, inclination, and ability to enjoy much of life because physical activity becomes too taxing. He or she wants to sleep more, eat more, and lie around more rather than be truly engaged in life. If we are lazy in parenting, we will have less of a relationship with our children. If we are lazy in marriage, we will grow distant from our spouses. If we are lazy in our business, our finances will gradually erode until we become charity cases instead of generous givers. If we are lazy in our faith, we will even drift from God. Neglect and laziness kill the best things in life.” Let’s dive deeper with the term Laziness. The Bible uses another term for laziness calling it Sloth or a Sluggard. Let’s look at what God’s Word says about Sloth/Sluggard Proverbs 6:10-11 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man. Proverbs 21:25 The cravings of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work. Hebrews 6:11-12 We want each of you to show the same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Earlier this year I had the blessed opportunity to attend a conference called Linger. There Pastor JR Vassar spoke into depths about the sin Sloth. He defined a sluggard as “a refusal or a rejection of our very purpose…At the heart of sloth is a lust for complete and unfettered freedom.” In the sermon series called A Beautiful Design, Pastor Beau Hughes talks about Man’s hurdles. A result of Sloth in our hearts can manifest itself into what’s known as selfish passivity. Pastor Hughes defines selfish passivity as “not the absence of doing anything…Men who are actively pursuing something other than what God desires and design them to pursue.” Now you may ask what is it I can do to battle spiritual sloth and physical laziness? Let’s first remind ourselves of truth and then see what the applications look like both physically and spiritually and how they coincide. God’s word says: Hebrews 12:11 – For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 1 Corinthians 9:27 – No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Timothy 4:8 – For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of values in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and the life to come. We are to remember how physical and spiritual disciplines coincide. How we treat/feed our physical bodies plays a role in what our soul intakes and in turn whether we abide or suppress The Spirit in us. Vice versa when we trust and surrender to God through the Spirit in us, then our souls stay vibrant to abide in The Vine (John 15:4-5), and we then know to steward what the Spirit gives us through power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). To combat the daily warfare we face against laziness/sloth and our sin nature, we must learn train ourselves for godliness (1 Timothy 4:7b). The purpose of spiritual discipline is the development of our inner being, that which been transformed by Christ at the center (2 Corinthians 5:17). The overflow of our new life in Christ branches into 4 areas which are: 1. Spending time in God’s Word. This constitutes reading, study, memorization, and meditation of Scripture. God’s Word continues to allow God to grow us by teaching, rebuking, correcting and training so we can be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 2. The next is Prayer. Prayer is our spiritual communion with God through means of thanksgiving, adoration, supplication, petition, and confession. God comes alongside us in prayer and meets us where we’re at. 3. The Lord did not create us to walk alone but to give us help in the sense of Christian Fellowship or Community. Through fellowship we can spur each other on towards love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24), continue to sharpen one another (Prov. 27:17), and to encourage and build each other up (1 Thess 5:11). 4. Lastly, we’re called to be His witnesses and let our light shine before others (Matthew 5:16). When we remember how much God loved us first through Christ (Romans 5:8), we understand the power of the Gospel (Romans 1:16) and go and be fishers of men/women (Matthew 4:19). Confronting spiritual laziness doesn’t mean ignoring our physical life to tend to spiritual concerns, however, on the contrary God allows us to use physical training to steward our bodies so God can continue to use us as His instruments for special purposes (2 Timothy 2:21). All it literally takes is allotting between 15 – 30 min daily of any physical activity of your choosing. When we surrender to the Lord our wellness to discipline our bodies for godliness, the benefits we reap are: · More Energy · Endurance to spend time with our families · Increased physical stamina · The opportunity to be used by God to physically endure a long day, week, or even seasons in life · Increase productivity · Increase focus and concentration · Lightens your mood · Builds confidence and self-esteem · Reduces tension, stress, and potential mild anxiety and depression symptoms · Decrease Heart Disease · Reduces risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity and certain types of cancer · Prevents bone loss in the reduction of osteoporosis Physical fitness is like farming. Much of the work that produces it is unseen. No one is applauding or even recognizing your efforts. But the life it creates can be used by God to bless and serve many. May we continue to seek God and fulfill the duties He’s given us through the Great Commission. In the end, the last thing I want to hear from God is “You wicked, lazy servant!”(Matthew 25:26). Instead, we long to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 5:21) |
Follow us on instagram
Categories
All
|