Theme: Are you counting spiritual calories?
I remember driving home from church one Sunday when Kirby said something simple,
yet very profound, and I thought of it this past Sunday after Pastor Dan’s sermon on
burning out. As we were driving that day, without really even looking my way, she
commented, “I really feel like I have been fed today. My spirit feels strong.” Then she
said, “It’s just like our physical bodies and our need for physical food. When we eat, our
bodies convert it into energy that we use to keep doing the things we need to do each
day. We need those meals in order to sustain our physical energy.” What she was
suggesting is that our spirit is no different than our physical bodies in that both need fed
for the energy we need to live, work, and serve. If we do not feed our spirits, as our
bodies, we will become weak, stop growing, and begin breaking down.
As we earnestly seek to serve God in Jesus Christ we can sometimes ‘get out too far
over our skis’, concentrating more on the tasks that need done than the spiritual meals
we need to complete them. The bigger the task, the more spiritual food we need. Think
of a marathon runner and the number of calories he or she must consume in order to
sustain the energy needed to run that distance. Without the vast amount of carbs and
water that runner would crash and burn.
The same is true in our spiritual marathons. The greater the task the more we need
God’s word, communion with Him in prayer, and being still in His presence. Only then
can we run the race laid out for us. That’s why John Wesley said, “I have so much to do
that I must spend several hours in prayer before I do it”. He knew the longer the race,
the more spiritual calories he needed to consume. Without the proper spiritual nutrition
we will weaken, lose our zeal, and burnout in our service to God. That is a fact as much
as trying to run a marathon without food.
How does your spirit feel this moment? Do you feel spiritually alive or defeated, tired
and burnout? Do you feel spiritually energized and strong, or exhausted and ineffective?
Are you weighed down with anxiety, depression or the feeling of being isolated and
alone despite being in a crowd?
Could it be that the reason your struggle to serve God is so difficult, is due to the fact
that your spirit isn’t being fed properly? Perhaps you feel so drained because the real
you is suffering from spiritual malnutrition.
Get into the word, pray and commune with the Father, seek His will, and do it
commensurate to the task ahead. That is your nutritional guide to spiritual health and
wellbeing.
Scripture: John 6:35 (NIV)
“ I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never grow hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
Prayer
Father, how often do I run ahead of you, determined to get things done FOR you without
waiting for your power and strength, and sometimes not even knowing if it is your will?
Please teach me to be patient enough to wait on you and your strength, and to know
that I need the food of your word and the power of the Holy Spirit in order to complete
the task you assigned me with joy and excitement. I know that without your spiritual
food your tasks will become arduous duties, lacking the joy you so want for me. Thank
you, Father, for your spiritual nourishment that sustains me and keeps me strong. In
Christ’s Name I pray. Amen!
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