I have a friend named Russell whom I greatly admire. When you are around Russell, and I sincerely hope you enjoy that privilege someday, several facets of this man’s character will quickly be evident. For instance, you will not talk with him long before you discern that Russell is a lover. First, and foremost, he loves His Savior and God, Jesus Christ. He loves his wife and best friend, Kelly. He loves his three beautiful daughters, Erin, Cora, and Leah. Russell loves to rock for the Rock of our salvation and to lead other people to worship the King with him (he plays the bass guitar very well). Just a few minutes of conversation with Russell will confirm my claim that he is indeed a lover.
These are all noteworthy distinctives about my friend, and many more fine and fascinating features have knit my heart to his. For example, he is also honest, generous, and faithful. All of these attributes, however, would require a fair amount of observation, conversation, and perhaps even intuition on your part. I daresay, however, that your first glimpse of my friend will more than likely produce a single common first thought.
When you meet Russell, before a single word is exchanged, those of us who can see cannot help but notice the obvious. Russell is one powerfully-built, muscular specimen of a man. Give him blue tights and a cape and you half expect him “to leap tall buildings in a single bound!” His nature is not to pose or flex for a camera. That’s just not who he is. But he has clearly put the time in at the gym (By the way, he built his own home gym!).
Russell was not born with the powerful physique he has today. He did not wake up one morning as a teenager to discover he had grown muscular overnight. No, what you see when you meet Russell today is the product of over twenty years of sweat and strain. He would point out that some years, or parts of some years, he was more dedicated than at other times. Still, his appearance is ample evidence that he has been more often than not consistent and disciplined in his exercise.
The same can honestly be said of any of us, whether we be fit or fat. When I look in the mirror, or simply take a gander towards my feet and find the view interrupted by my beltline, I am reminded that I did not get in this shape overnight. The condition of my body is primarily the direct result of my diet and exercise for the past number of weeks, months, and years. If I want to be slim, I am at least six to eight weeks of restraint and self-control away from that goal. Sadly, it does not take that long to be … less slim.
I have discovered that the road to wellness is a path taken one day at a time, one step at a time, one meal at a time. If I will achieve ultimate victory in my fitness war, then I must engage in countless daily battles and skirmishes. I must learn to celebrate daily victories and to learn from the frequent defeats, as well. I must battle through occasional lethargy and disenchantment with the process. Some weeks I will see sudden positive results. Some weeks I will experience a plateau or even a backward step or two. But the name of the game is faithful application of truth over time.
When I look in the mirror, I wonder if other people see more clearly than I do the evidence of my choices. A renowned pianist once said something like this: “If I do not practice today, I will notice. If I do not practice this week, my teacher will notice. If I do not practice this month, my audience will notice.” So, we really cannot hide our choices or their fruit.
The same principle applies to our spiritual fitness as well. I do not intend to discount the sudden transformation available to anyone the moment they trust Jesus – whether for salvation or strength or steadfastness. Still, as a rule, to know Jesus more intimately requires the faithful exercise day in and day out of certain disciplines.
This reality surfaced again this week at the Southern Baptist Convention as I observed and listened to men whom I have come to regard as spiritual giants. Current leaders in our denomination like Mohler, Land, Hunt, and Page – powerful voices from generations past like Rogers, Allison, Draper, and Vines – dynamic leaders and pastors today like Andy Stanley, James MacDonald, Brad Powell – men in our state like Jimmy Jones, Larry Allen, Bob Carpenter, and Nick Ruffer – all these leaders strike me as men of spiritual muscle. The development of their spiritual muscles so that, to the Father’s glory, they display a Christ-like physique, is the culmination of years of spiritual discipline and diet.
We may wonder what our life suggests about our daily walk with Jesus. Is there enough evidence to convict us of spending time with our Lord in prayer and in His Word? What does our conduct say about the faith choices we have made over the last few weeks, months, or years? Have we trained enough by obedience to be ready today to lift greater faith weights?
Our physical body and appearance testify to the choices we have made over time concerning diet and exercise and the degree of consistency we have applied to those choices. Similarly, the constancy and character of our walk with Jesus over the years will be manifest and apparent to all by the measure of Christlikeness in our conduct today. We can take the analogy one step further. The consistent nurture of our relationship with God and His people, including the strenuous exercise of faith in Him, makes our spiritual physique as evident as my friend Russell’s physical build.
This week in Experiencing God, we learned more about how Jesus’ church should function as His body. How much like Christ our Head are we as a church, as a local expression of His body? What does our calendar of activities say about our priorities? What do our priorities say about our devotion to God’s Word, our attention to the leadership of the Spirit, our familiarity with His purposes and His ways, and our confidence in His Person and power? When people see our church in action, do they see a powerful, muscular, body of Christ or a malnourished, underdeveloped society of religionists? Selah.
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