When you think of your health, things like your weight, blood pressure, exercise, and that bowl of ice cream you ate last night before bed probably come to mind. And these are all important, because God has only given us this one body and we are called to be good stewards of it, especially because it is this body that will be resurrected someday! But we know all this and we know that we are supposed to watch what we eat and exercise and so forth to stay healthy. But I wonder, when you think of your health, do you think of your spiritual health too? You see, you are a psychosomatic unity. “Psycho” meaning soul, and “somatic” meaning body. You are not a soul that just inhabits this body for a while. No, you are your body and soul combined forever (separated only at death, but restored at the resurrection, thankfully!), and so when you think of your health, does your spiritual health come to mind too? It should! Because you are just as much a soul as you are a body.
“Well how do I keep my soul healthy?” you might ask. Well, Scripture teaches us! Prayer, Bible reading and meditation, fellowshipping with other saints, evangelism, and fasting are all ways that the Lord has instructed us to walk with Him and grow in our souls’ health. But these can be tough, and, just like eating well, sometimes we aren’t as motivated as we should be to stay spiritually healthy. “What’s the bare minimum I can read of my Bible and stay healthy?” we might be tempted to ask. Well, I went to the dentist this morning, so let me use that as an analogy. After a battery of X-rays on my mouth from every possible angle, the dentist then came in and poked around my teeth with the one thing they tell you not to poke your teeth with, a sharp and pointy metal object! All joking aside, their inspection and cleaning is important as a regular check up to make sure your overall dental health is good. Cleaning tartar, flossing your teeth, and checking for mouth cancers and cavities are all part of keeping good health. But that is not all to our dental health. Imagine the man who never brushed his teeth and only relied on the dentist every six months to clean them. He might have (some) teeth in his mouth, but they certainly will not be healthy! If our mouths are not healthy when cleaned only once every six months, why should we think our souls would be any better off if we come to church only on Christmas and Easter? “I brush my teeth once a week” is not acceptable to most; why then do we think that hearing/reading Scripture only once per week is?
If we are truly concerned with the health of our mouth, our mindset should not be “what is the minimum I need to do?” but “how can I be as healthy as possible?” Shouldn’t this be our attitude about the health of our eternal souls? “Jesus, how can I be as close to You today as possible?” Not, “Jesus, I’ll see You next Sunday for my weekly cleaning.” How is the health of your soul? Pearly white? Fit and strong? Or could some spiritual exercise do you good? It’s not about doing the bare minimum to keep your spiritual doctor (pastor) off your case. It’s about walking with the One who loves you and invites you in to life abundantly. Let’s be a church known for taking our health seriously, especially our spiritual health!
Pastor Joshua
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