“May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23
You may be familiar with this verse. To many, it implies that we are a living spirit which has a soul that lives in a body – three parts that make up our whole being. I happen to agree with this view of how God designed us for spirit, mind, body health.
In this verse, Paul encourages us to attend to all three aspects of who we are. And so we try to do this the best we can, but often in our own strength. And many of us fail miserably at this. The next verse holds the key to being successful at attending to our spirit, mind, body health.
“The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” Thessalonians 5:24
This verse is there to remind you that God will do this for you. His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, living in and through you is who will see to it that you live a lifestyle that promotes good health in spirit, soul and body.
What’s required from you is to have faith that he will. Faith as small as a mustard seed. (Luke 17:6) You see, it’s not the magnitude of your faith that’s most important. It’s not so much having a strong and unshakeable faith as it is in having faith and trust in a loving, and grace-giving, and powerful God that is the key. As you have this perspective, this mindset, this attitude, and you place your dependence on God’s Spirit as he lives through you, he will enable you to live a healthy lifestyle.
And a healthy lifestyle will promote a healthy spirit, soul and body.
You see, when Jesus lived on this earth, as the Son of man, he was not only God, but a man. As a man, his all-powerful and loving Father lived in and through him. This is how Jesus was empowered to perform miracles and to love others with deep compassion. (John 17:21) He kept close to his Father which enabled him to live as he did.
That’s just what God desires you to do. And if you do this, in faith, you can rest in the confidence that the Holy Spirit will enable you to care for your spirit, soul and body.
God is faithful, and he will do it!
Have a blessed day, in Christ.
I understand we are suppose to let God do the work but why does it seem that the three parts of Body, Mind & Spirit pull so hard in opposite directions?
Because as it says in Galatians 5:17, the Spirit and the flesh war against each other. The flesh wants to have it’s own way contrary to the desires of the Spirit of God working in our lives to frustrate the evil or wrong desires of our flesh from having it’s way in us. The Spirit seeks our good, our flesh seeks our bad.