SPIRITUALLY HEALTHY?

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

 

Are you healthy?

A pretty simple question.

 

Now before you start checking your BP or doing that cholesterol workup, before you take the stress test or if you are like me and justify that last GOLDEN OREO cookie, I will rephrase the question a little.

 

How is your spiritual health?

 

Walt Larimore, MD makes the statement that spiritual health is measured by the strength of our relationship with the Father.  In other words, the closer the relationship, the better the health.

And while a lot of time and money is often spent on our physical well-being our spiritual health is sometimes ignored.  We even often mistakenly judge our “spiritual health” in terms of things like our happiness.

 

Everything is going good and in a “happy place”? We say we are spiritually healthy.  When everything is “not so good” and we are unhappy we will often equate that to being spiritually unhealthy.

 

Truth is if our spiritual health is determined as the good doctor suggests, based on our relationship with the Father, then we need to long and strive for "blessing" rather than just happiness.

Why?

 

Psalm 1:1(NIRV)

Blessed is the one who obeys the law of the Lord. He doesn’t follow the advice of evil people. He doesn’t make a habit of doing what sinners do.

 

That would be someone who is SPIRITUALLY HEALTHY; someone who is obeying GOD and in "good relationship".

 

I have a friend Ed.  Whenever I see Ed during our customary “man hug” I will ask Ed how he is doing.  Without fail Ed will say “He is blessed by GOD”.  And He is.  He has a great RELATIONSHIP with GOD.  And whether Ed is in a happy place or a sad situation, he knows he is always BLESSED!

 

In fact all of us have the wonderful opportunity to walk in blessing every day.  It is a choice.  We have the same choice to maintain SPIRITUAL HEALTH as we do our physical well-being.  And while physical fitness is crucial, nutrition important, rest relevant and maintaining the “temple” a command, our SPIRITUAL HEALTH, our relationship with the FATHER must be given priority!

 

1 Timothy 4:7 (MSG)

Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart.

 

You see a disciplined life and an obedient life is a blessed life.  It is a spiritually healthy life!

So ask yourself that question one more time?

Are you spiritually healthy?

If you can’t answer yes, then it is time to draw nearer to GOD so that he can get things back in shape; to bring you back to that “blessed by GOD” that SPIRITUALLY HEALTHY life!

 

Ephesians 4:15,16 (MSG)

…God wants …His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

 

 

 

I love you all.

Freedom Church

 

 

Pastor GDelaney