Stacey shares her heart and encourages us to do what God says makes us fit for consumption in this week’s Worship Wednesday.
Fit for Consumption
by Stacey Gibson
Fitness. It’s all around us, isn’t it?! Eat this. Don’t eat that. Work out. Run marathons. Try this diet. Take this supplement. The information overload is almost too much to take sometimes. Our minds become overwhelmed by the thought of it all. Quite often we start something that frankly, we just might not have the stamina to finish. I mean, if you see me running you probably better run because chances are something is chasing me.
Truth be told, our spiritual fitness can sometimes start to veer in a similar direction.
We allow ourselves to become overwhelmed with the amount of Bible study material out there or the “right” way to pray. And if we’re being honest, just living up to others’ expectations of what a “good” Christian is supposed to be, intimidates us. How much we’re actually supposed to know? What if we don’t have all the answers? Or what if we stumble over our words while we pray? What if, what if, what if? When in actuality, all that really matters is our relationship with Jesus and his expectations of us.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition…”
1 Corinthians 9:27 Message
Spiritually Fit
If we are to be living for the Lord and making sure that we are in top condition, we need to be sure that we are staying in shape not only physically but spiritually, also. This requires strict discipline when it comes to things like prayer, fasting, tithing, staying in the Word and using it to preach the gospel to others and make disciples for his Kingdom. We could be the most fit person in the world, running every day and not a bit of junk food graces our lips, and yet be in the worst spiritual condition ever. Not fit for consumption by the Lord at all. 1 Timothy 4 explains it this way:
“Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever.”
1 Timothy 4:8 Message
So what does it look like to be spiritually fit? For you to be consumed by the Lord. It takes you allowing him to be the One and only in your life. It’s allowing him to fill you with his Spirit and take over every facet of your life. It takes you handing control over to him. It takes a lot of humility and a lot of trust and sometimes a lot of waiting. But once you let him in, it’s a whole new ballgame. He leads your day, he leads your conversations, he leads your thoughts, he just takes over and helps us run the race that he set out before us.
God Makes a Way
Now I’m not saying it’s all as easy as I’m making it sound. Like if you pray enough, read enough, fast enough, and remember to lean on him at ALL times (I know we are all so good at that right?) Nope. There will be trials and there will be setbacks. We will experience times when you wonder where he is while you’re almost out of breath from the marathon of life you are running. However, in Isaiah 40 teaches us:
“they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31 ESV
So if we hold tight to the promises of his Word, if we hide them in our hearts and use them to fight our battles, use them to draw strength from, use them as our supplement to everything else we feed ourselves with, then we will finish strong. We will be fit to have our lives consumed by God.
Prayer to be Fit for Consumption
Dear Lord, let us live Spiritually fit to be consumed by you so that others see Christ in us and through us and we run hard for that finish line. Let us consume you more than anything else so we can finish this race strong. Amen.
I pray listening to “Inside Out” by Hillsong UNITED will help encourage us as we run this marathon we call life and that allowing the Lord to consume us from the inside out keeps us fit to finish the race.
