Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The Physical side of Spirituality

Speaking of training and action...

In the 21st Century of endless mp3 sermons (and even free online Bible college courses), infinite books and great quality Katoomba conferences all at the disposal of Christians (in Sydney anyway), the threat of becoming spiritually fat is a real one.

What I mean by being 'spiritually fat' is a desire to be continually fed- enjoying a scrumptious text of the Bible, exegeted and put in to context- again and again and again. At this point, it's very easy to see how quickly one can apply the corresponding physical principles to combat this over indulgence (well, as an exercise scientist, it is very easy for me to see).

So how can we combat spiritual fatness? By being disciplined in spiritual exercise. Exercising your faith! Having a spiritual workout! Going for a spiritual jog :)

Now, I'm writing this for a reason: because my intake of 'Bible stuff' is high, I need to be weary to expend more; I need to exercise to keep fit!

If you think about it, being 'well nourished' (physically) is conducive to a good quality exercise session because your body has all the vitamin, minerals and macro-nutrients it will ever need! In the same way, being well-nourished spiritually provides you with certainly enough motivation, encouragement, inspiration and knowledge to serve you well during your 'exercise'. There may be a point in which being 'well-nourished', leads to being over-nourished, which obviously doesn't result in the most conducive physical state for exercise, but I'll stop there...

So the goal is to be spiritually fit and so to avoid ever becoming so overfed you can't get up and be a part of the world. For, one great theologian once said: "Do and you will know".

I will endeavor to live by this

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