Spiritual Fitness and Ministry: 1 Timothy 4:1-16 Weekly Devotional

We are all instructed to be a minister to others by loving and serving them. (1 Corinthians 10:24 and Mark 12:30-31) Paul gives us, and Timothy, instructions about how we are to equip ourselves to serve others in the fourth chapter of First Timothy. (1 Timothy 4:1-16)

Ministry Through Service

The Greek for the verb form of the word minister is diakoneo meaning to serve or to help. Ministry can occur in numerous ways. It can be accomplished by practical ministry or by spiritual ministry in the church, community, small group or in a one-on-one setting. It could mean serving by giving practical support or finances, or by teaching others biblical truths.

Paul tells us in verse six that it is important for a minister to be instructed in the truths of his/her faith. As ministers, we must know what scripture says about the basics of the Christian faith – the Gospel. We must be able to distinguish between biblical truths and “old wives tales.”  And it’s only through the study of scripture that we can distinguish God’s truth as compared to what the “world” wants us to believe is true.  Only then can we be effective teachers of others.

Spiritual Fitness

This chapter of Timothy also tells us that godliness, or ‘spiritual exercise,’ as it reads in the first edition of the New Living Translation, promises a reward in this life and the next. God wants us to live out our faith daily.  We do this by incorporating spiritual disciplines and practices, as taught in scripture, into our life.

One critical principle or practice is to transform your mind (Romans 12:2) by understanding the fullness of the Gospel message and by adopting the Gospel, and associated scriptures and principles, as a mindset.  When you do this, it will radically change your outlook on life and influence your personal behavior and lifestyle. This in turn will affect how well you are able to minister to others.

Yes, we must train, or exercise, ourselves to be godly.  As an athlete disciplines himself to run and win a race, we must be rigorous and apply self-discipline in studying scripture and applying what we learn to our lives. We must practice our faith personally. The more we believe in the truths of the Bible and incorporate them into our life, the more whole we can become in spirit, mind and body. This in turn will better enable us to minister to others through practical service and teaching.

Questions to Reflect On

Are you effectively ministering to others? If so, how? If not, why not?

How spiritually fit are you?

What spiritual exercises – principles, beliefs or practices of the Christian faith – require attention in your own life?

Resources on Spiritual Exercises & Spiritual Fitness

Spiritual Fitness Assessment

Article – An Introduction to Spiritual Exercises

Louis Oosthuizen Wins British Open with a Red Dot Trigger to Focus. How Do You Keep a Focus on Your Walk with God?

Focus, Triggers and Sports Psychology

Sports psychologist will tell you that an important aspect of any game is the ability of the athlete to focus.  Keeping one’s mind concentrated on the task at hand is key to performing anything at a high level.

The 2010 British Open winner, Louis Oosthuizen, employed a trigger technique to do just that.  In the past, Oosthuizen would become very temperamental on the course and regularly lose his focus. His mind would get off track and his swing would be affected.  Consequently, his scores did not put him at the top of the leader boards.  In fact, in two previous PGA tour events, he did not do well enough to make the cut and play over the weekend.

Oosthuizen and his Mind Coach came up with a solution to his focus problem. He put a large red dot in a very visible spot on his golf glove.  Each time he gripped his club, he’d see the red dot as a trigger and to remember to focus… to clear his mind of any distraction so that his mind was completely in the game.  He believes it made a difference in how he performed during the British Open.  I imagine he will continue to use this technique as a visual reminder, or trigger, to help him focus for the foreseeable future. Serious golfers and sports-minded people may enjoy reading more about Oosthuizen’s Mind Coach, Karl Morris, and this trigger technique.

Focus and The Christian Faith

I spent some time the last 24 hours reflecting on how this focus issue might be addressed for those who are trying to live out the principles of the Christian faith and might be stumbling, especially in their thinking patterns. My mind kept going to two scriptures.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.“ Philippians 4:8

To understand what God wants us to be doing, we have to have a mindset based on his guiding principles.  Paul tells us in Romans that it’s necessary to renew our minds by knowing what God’s truths are and we do that by reading the Bible. We must replace what society, or the world, tells us with the principles of God.  He inspired the authors of the Bible to share his truths with us by the written Word. (2 Timothy 3:16)

Then in Philippians, Paul instructs us what to think on specifically… the kind of thoughts that should be in our minds.  The more our thoughts are of those that Paul suggests, the more likely we will have peace and live a victorious life.

Focus and Your Red Dot

So what behaviors or “triggers” can we employ on a daily basis to remind us to practice these principles?  I’ll share a few of the things I do that help me. I generally listen to Christian music instead of secular music. Most every morning I start my day with a devotional and read some of the Bible.  I pray asking God to help me think about things that will please him and that are praiseworthy. I read books about the application of the Christian faith.  Most days of the week I seek out scriptures that are conducive to personalizing in the form of daily positive affirmations.  (Read a blog post about the value of speaking affirmations using scripture.)

It’s been my experience that the more I am intentional about monitoring my thinking patterns, and therefore think as Paul recommended to the Philippians, I’m better able to be the kind of man God desires me to be.  The fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control - are more apparent in my life.

So, I don’t use a visual type of red dot to help me focus on my walk with God. My main technique is monitoring my thinking pattern and by daily doing things that help me be reminded of the key principles of the Christian faith.

What’s your equivalent of Oosthuizen’s red dot that helps you stay focused on your walk with God?

Walking with God. Running with Nikes

It was a year ago this week that I last laced up a new pair of running shoes. That is until earlier today.

On July 9th of 2009, I made a blog entry about running shoes and the bible being two pieces of fitness equipment that I most frequently use. The Nike Air Max shoes I blogged about then and that I have enjoyed using for a little less than a year blew a tire so to speak.  Two of the ‘air bubbles’ burst and this resulted in reduced cushioning. My daughter urged me to return them to Nike with a request for a replacement pair.  The replacement shoes arrived this morning.  The runner in me felt compelled to lace them up and take them for a spin… a slow four mile run along my favorite rural route.  So, I then grabbed my iPod and headed out the door.

As usual, my thoughts wandered to many topics while I was running.  One thing I thought about was walking. I wondered how many years of running I still had in my knees and ankles.  I turn 60 later this year and have been running since I was 16.  Thankfully, I made a conscious decision about 15 years ago to pull way back on my running in hopes that I’d be able to keep at it longer than I would otherwise. Who knows, God willing I’ll be able to run throughout my 60′s into my 70′s!

I’ve been meaning to blog about walking with God for a while and on the run, I was inspired to do it today.

The Bible tells us that Noah and Enoch both walked with God.  It doesn’t say they ran with God… but walked with him.  It’s interesting isn’t it? The picture we imagine in our minds of walking with God is certainly different than of running with God. Running suggests a quicker, more hurried pace.  Walking suggests a slower, more relaxed and intentional pace.

David gives his account of walking with God in Psalm 56:13.

“For you have rescued me from death;
you have kept my feet from slipping.
So now I can walk in your presence, O God,
in your life-giving light.” Psalm 56:13

What does it meant to walk with God? There are two spiritual exercises that come to mind.  One is that we will obey him.  The other is that we will be in his presence.

Noah was obedient to God when he built the ark.  By his obedience, his family was saved and the entire human was was able to continue here on earth. (See Genesis 6:8-9) Talk about the importance of following God! If you want to be reminded of the value of God’s commandments and of following them, read Psalm 119.  In almost every verse in the chapter, we are reminded of why God’s instructions to us are important.

When we are walking with God, when we are obeying his guidelines, we are also living a Holy life.

“And a great road will go through that once deserted land.
It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-minded people will never travel on it.
It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;
fools will never walk there.”    Isaiah 35:8

To walk with God is to be obedient to him and his ways.

When we know that we are in God’s presence, we are in a special place spiritually. Lingering in God’s presence while reading the Bible, or praying, or listening to inspiring music, or by walking outside in nature is a great place to be in.  The more I sense his presence, the stronger I feel spiritually. Being in God’s presence enables me to better handle the difficult times and bumpy roads that come my way. As David writes in the Psalm above, walking in God’s presence gives us life.

Another image I have when I think of walking is a path, not unlike the picture I have added in this post. A path is a way we take to get from one place to another. This reminds me that there is one path, one way, to God in heaven – to be assured of an eternal life.  Jesus tells us what path to take in John 16:6 – “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  It’s pretty clear here that the only way to be connected with God the Father is through his Son, Jesus.

Finally, the last book of the Bible tells us of an outcome of “walking in God’s way” on earth.  We will walk with God in heaven.

“Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.”  Revelation 3:4-5

I don’t know about you, but I want to be walking with God in as many ways as I can. There sure are numerous benefits while we are on earth. And, I want to be dressed in white walking with God in heaven some day.

Questions to Reflect On:

Are you walking with God?

Are you running such a fast-paced life that you don’t leave time for personal time with God?

Helpful Resources:

Article – His Instruction Manual: Our Guidebook for a Healthy Life

Article – Get FITT Spiritually and Physically

Article – An Introduction to Spiritual Exercises

Other Blog Entries About Running

Suffer from Frequent Headaches? God’s Therapy – Do Not Worry, Trust. Weekly Devotional – Proverbs 3:5

June 6-12 is National Headache Awareness Week as recognized by the National Headache Foundation.  The page at the link I’ve provided has some excellent educational material on the topic.  I certainly have not seen such complete medical documentation and reference material on headaches.

I imagine many of us have had a debilitating form of migraine headache over the years.  I can remember when I was under some chronic and severe stress years ago and how I suffered from frequent cluster headaches. They were a pain! Among the materials provided on the above site is a guide to preventing and alleviating the pain associated with migraines. Many prevention methods are mentioned.

They report that the most common type of headache is a tension headache. Tension headaches are due to tight muscles in your shoulders, neck, scalp and jaw. They are often related to stress, depression or anxiety. Therapies to reduce stress that they mention are biofeedback, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, deep breathing and creative visualization. At the end of the paragraph they say “techniques discussed use the mind’s own power to change the central nervous system in a manner that can stop a migraine attack before it progresses to the pain phase.” I find it interesting that the National Headache Foundation uses the term “alternative” treatments in describing these prevention and treatment techniques.

Sadly, there’s no mention of God’s primary therapy for the prevention of headaches. Do not worry.  In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus outlines his teaching on worry. He reminds us that God will provide for our most basic needs.  Jesus further instructs us to make the Kingdom of God and his righteousness our primary concern.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

It’s our nature to worry about the things of life, but God reminds us in his guidelines for living, the Bible, to give our worries to him.  To trust him fully.  When we are able to do that we are able to give him our cares and concerns and trust that he is in control of our circumstances. This certainly seems to be the very best prevention method for headaches.

Questions About Stress and Worries to Reflect On

What do you frequently worry or have anxiety about?

When was the last time you quietly and expectantly asked God to take care of that issue?

How are you seeking God’s Kingdom on a regular basis?

Resources on Stress

Article – Manage Your Stress With God’s Help

Slide Show – Stressed? See How God Can Help

Blog Posts on Trust

Guilt, Satan, Disease and Forgiveness

Occasionally I pass along relevant devotions that I receive.   Below are a few lines from tow of  David Wilkerson Today devotions on “The Danger of Guilt.”

Day One

“Guilt can eat away at the spiritual vitality of a Christian like a raging cancer. It causes a person to lose control of life; it leads to a desire to quit or retire from spiritual activity; and, finally, it brings on physical pain and disease. Like cancer, guilt feeds upon itself until all spiritual life is gone, and the end result is weakness and a sense of shame and failure.”

Read this brief devotion about guilt and the importance of the spiritual exercise of forgiveness.  David Wilkerson Today – March 2, 2010

Day Two

“Lay down your guilt, my friend. You don’t need to carry that load another minute. Open up the doors and windows of your heart, and let God’s love in. He forgives you—over and over again! He will give you the power to see your struggle through to victory.  If you ask—if you repent—you are forgiven! Accept it—now!”

Read this second brief devotion online – David Wilkinson Today – March 3, 2010

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”  1 John 1:9

Have a terrific day!

Resources Related to Guilt

Article – Forgiveness: A Spiritual Exercise for a Healthier Life

Power and Strength by Grace Through Intimacy with God

The grace of God gives us strength and the corresponding ability to do the things we otherwise could not do.  This happens as a result of being in an intimate relationship with God, through his Son Jesus and experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit.  The more intimate we are with God, the more time we spend quietly with him, and the more we yield to him and depend upon him the more empowered we become.

Power from God does not come by way of religious-type activity and service.  It comes as a direct result of abiding in God’s presence and being connected to him in a very real and meaningful way.  Jesus tell us this when he says -

“Remain in me and I will remain in you…. apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5

Jesus gives us a great example of how he received power from his Father, God.  Shortly before his death on the cross, Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He was sorrowful and full of grief-filled emotions as he prepared to do the will of God by dying on the cross for our sins. The “man” in him did not want to die. What did he do? Jesus went away to be alone with God…. to be in earnest prayer with him one-on-one.  When he finished his prayer time with  God, Jesus was prepared, equipped with the strength he needed to be able to die for you and me. Matthew 26:36-46

The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus prayed to his Father that just as he and God were one, that we all would “be in them.” John 17:20-21 This serves as a reminder that God desires us to remain as close as possible to him. He knows that for us to be able to do his perfect will, we need to maintain an intimate relationship with him.

‘Abide in God’s Presence’ is one Spiritual Exercise that is conducive to a healthy life.  The more we are in God’s presence, the more power the Holy Spirit gives us to make healthy choices and to change our behavior. We are able to do things that we otherwise might not be able to do.

Questions to Reflect On:

How close to Jesus are you?

How much time do you spend in prayer with God on a daily basis?

How much time each week do you spend reading the Bible and meditating on what you’ve read?

Scriptures Related to Intimacy:

“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.”  James 4:8

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” Psalm 23:1-3

Helpful Resources

Article – It’s About the Relationship

Blog Posts About Strength

Booklet – Experiencing Intimacy With God, RBC Publications

Website Page – Spiritual Exercises for a Healthier Life

Applications for Life: On Your Phone. In the Bible.

Applications for smart phones are all the rage. It’s amazing the number of new applications that continue to be created for phones like the iPhone. According to a recent advertisement in the Wall Street Journal, there are ‘over 100,000 applications for just about anything.’

Smart Phone Applications

Over the Christmas holiday, both of my young adult sons visited me and I enjoyed getting up to speed on how they were using the various applications on their phones. I suggested to my older son that he search and see if a dictation application was available for his iPhone and sure enough he found Dragon Dictation which is made by the same company of the software I occasionally use to capture my thoughts and blog posts and articles such as I am doing now. He has since found the use of that application very practical and convenient.

The advertisement in the Wall Street Journal that I’ve seen on a few occasions reads — “New year. New resolutions. New apps.” As I thought about this advertisement I tried to think of a parallel comparison that I could make for a blog entry. What quickly came to my mind was the fact that God has given us a guidebook with literally hundreds of thousands of principles that he would want us to apply to our lives, in the form of “applications.” With that in mind I thought this might be a helpful reminder for you to consider what biblical ‘applications’ you might want to re-address during this new year.

Over the course of the last several months I have frequently referred to a poster presentation that I made last June at the annual meeting of the Society for Spirituality, Theology and Health at Duke University. For that presentation, I identified 41 Christian principles that I believe are health promoting. I thought it might be helpful to again refer to that document and encourage each of you to review those principles and see if you might identify some aspects of your faith that you might benefit from addressing in a more intentional way.

Biblical Principles

Just as the various applications on your mobile phone might assist you in aspects of your day-to-day life, many very important principles of the Christian faith have been provided us by God so that we might be able to live a full and rewarding life. Consider these few examples:

• Believe the Bible is truth.
• Receive God’s love.
• Believe in God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
• Believe the Holy Spirit lives in you and empowers you.
• Remain connected to Jesus.
• Spend time in God’s presence.
• Do not worry or be anxious.
• Forgive.
• Renew your mind with God’s truths.
• Humble yourself before God.

The listing above is just a partial list of many key principles that God has provided us in the Bible to direct us in how we’re to live our lives.

It’s a new year. I suspect many of you now are a little more serious and have a deeper resolve to live life in alignment with values they are very important to you. As many of you may have recently downloaded new applications for your mobile phones, I encourage you also to spend a little more time reading God’s guidebook for living, the Bible, so that your resolve to apply his many principles for living a more abundant life in 2010 might be strengthened.

Questions to Consider:

What faith-related principles do you resolve to continue to practice in your day-to-day living?

Are there any biblical principles that you’ve not attended to over the last few years that you want to incorporate into your life?

Related Scriptures:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24

Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind. Psalm 26:2

Related Resources:

Article – His Instruction Manual: Our Guidebook for Living

Poster Presentation – The Spirituality – Health Connection: Why It Exists addressing 41 health-promoting principles of the Christian faith and 194 scripture references.

Spiritual Exercise and Physical Activity Principles – Common Ground

When I work with a client I am coaching, I remind them that the most important aspect of fitness training is the frequency, or regularity, in which they engage in exercise. The same holds true for the spiritual exercise of Abiding in God’s Presence.

Principles of Exercise

A common acronym in the fitness training arena is FITT. This stands for frequency, intensity, time(or duration) and type. It’s important to address each of these four areas when one is putting together an exercise program. Over the long haul, I believe that the frequency in which an individual engages in exercise is the most important of these. And, when we look at the overall components of fitness, regularity is considered to be one of the key components. The research will show that it is very important to be consistent with exercise if a person desires to become more physically fit. When I work with a client, I try to help them get to the point where they are working out at least three or four days a week. Even if the person is not able to be this consistent, it will certainly pay dividends to be consistently exercising two to three days a week over the long haul.

Spiritual Exercises

Abiding in God’s Presence is one of 18 Spiritual Exercises I have identified that are practices of the Christian faith that may have some relevance to an person’s overall well-being and health.  Reading the Bible, praying and meditating or are different ways that we can be in God’s presence and feel a connection to him. I recommend to my clients that they create time every day for these spiritual practices. As with being consistent and regular with physical activity, consistently spending time with God in a way that is meaningful will pay great dividends as it pertains to one’s faith journey.

The more consistently that you spend some time with God, the more opportunity you will have to hear his small voice and to understand his will for you. Making a practice of reading the Bible is another way that you can hear from God and understand his will for your life.  In fact, I’d have to say that this is the number one way that God speaks to us — through his Word.

Questions to Reflect On:

Have you spent some quiet time with God today? How frequently are you spending time with God? How often do you read the Bible? Are you as consistent in spending time alone with God as you are in engaging in physical activity?

Resources on Spiritual Exercises:

Article – An Introduction to Spiritual Exercises

Article – Get FITT Spiritually and Physically

More blog posts on Spiritual Exercise

Change unhealthy behavior with Wellness Coaching