I have a bad back. My doctors have told me more than once that I need to think in terms of doing my back exercises every day for the rest of my life. I don’t. I do my exercises when my back hurts. I stick with them for a month. When my back doesn’t hurt anymore, I stop. A month goes by and guess what? My back hurts again.
Our spiritual lives can be a lot like my back exercise life. Our faith is well when we attend to our spiritual exercises: prayer, Bible study, worship, tithing, service. But when things are good, we can be tempted to start slacking off. A month or a year goes by and suddenly we find our faith in the gutter, struggling to stay alive.
What works for me and my back? Physical therapy. I’ve been through four stints of therapy now. This last time they didn’t teach me a thing that was new. It just gave me a regular place, a regular time, and regular encouragement to do my exercises. I won’t tell you what it cost! Recently, I have gotten back to doing Pilates. It gives me a regular place, a regular time, and a regular routine to do my exercises, and it’s a lot cheaper!
We have a regular place, a regular time, and regular routine to exercise your faith: It’s called Sunday morning worship – It’s free! But it’s not enough! Of course, spiritual discipline starts with Sunday worship, but how much would you get out of exercising once a week? A little, but not enough. Physical exercise gurus say at least three times a week is good – every day for the rest of your life is better.
It’s always a good time to begin a spiritual discipline. My advice is to find a regular place, a regular time, and regular routine to keep you in it. Our church provides opportunities other than Sunday worship. Take advantage of them! Most of us live in families that provide opportunities – think what you could get out of regular Bible study and prayer with your spouse or your children. We don’t often realize it, but we live in communities that provide opportunity as well. You would be surprised at how many of your friends and acquaintances are spiritually hungry and would jump at the chance to join you in a Bible study or prayer group, if you only asked them. Personal devotions are great, but sometimes it helps to have support.
I’m off to do my exercises.
Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20)
Our spiritual lives can be a lot like my back exercise life. Our faith is well when we attend to our spiritual exercises: prayer, Bible study, worship, tithing, service. But when things are good, we can be tempted to start slacking off. A month or a year goes by and suddenly we find our faith in the gutter, struggling to stay alive.
What works for me and my back? Physical therapy. I’ve been through four stints of therapy now. This last time they didn’t teach me a thing that was new. It just gave me a regular place, a regular time, and regular encouragement to do my exercises. I won’t tell you what it cost! Recently, I have gotten back to doing Pilates. It gives me a regular place, a regular time, and a regular routine to do my exercises, and it’s a lot cheaper!
We have a regular place, a regular time, and regular routine to exercise your faith: It’s called Sunday morning worship – It’s free! But it’s not enough! Of course, spiritual discipline starts with Sunday worship, but how much would you get out of exercising once a week? A little, but not enough. Physical exercise gurus say at least three times a week is good – every day for the rest of your life is better.
It’s always a good time to begin a spiritual discipline. My advice is to find a regular place, a regular time, and regular routine to keep you in it. Our church provides opportunities other than Sunday worship. Take advantage of them! Most of us live in families that provide opportunities – think what you could get out of regular Bible study and prayer with your spouse or your children. We don’t often realize it, but we live in communities that provide opportunity as well. You would be surprised at how many of your friends and acquaintances are spiritually hungry and would jump at the chance to join you in a Bible study or prayer group, if you only asked them. Personal devotions are great, but sometimes it helps to have support.
I’m off to do my exercises.
Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20)
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