Bringing Your Physical Life Into Focus - Day 5

Today's devotional comes from the Life Development Sermon Series at Lifechurch.tv by Craig Groeshel.

May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23

As we talk about our physical life, it’s important to remember that our physical life has three parts. Just like our heavenly Father is a triune God—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit—we’re created in His image as a triune being.

As a follower of Christ, we have a spirit, a soul, and a body. As we seek to treat our body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, it’s important to nurture the other parts of our triune being. I like to compare running our lives to operating a car. In a car it’s important to check the gauges. Is your car overheating? Do you have enough gas? Is your oil pressure where it should be? The same is true in life.

In yesterday’s devotion, we talked about rest for the body. I’d call this the physical gauge. It’s important to check the physical gauge to make sure our physical body is where God wants it to be. Make sure you have the right diet and the right exercise, and that you’re receiving the right amount of rest. Today we’ll look at two other gauges.

We’ve talked about the physical, but have you stopped to consider your emotional gauge? 3 John 1:2 says, “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you even as your soul is getting along well.” John Wesley used to ask, “How is it with your soul?” He could’ve asked, “How is your emotional gauge?” When I ignore my emotional gauge and become emotionally depleted, I find that four things happen:

1. My relationships lose intimacy.
When my emotional tank is empty, I don’t have the ability to relate intimately to Amy and those whom I love.
2. People become a burden…instead of a blessing.
Instead of being seen as someone to love, people start getting in my way.
3. I become defensive and can’t handle correction.
I can’t look at myself objectively and receive Godly guidance with an open heart.
4. I become emotionally isolated.
I pull away from my support systems when I need them the most.

How are you doing emotionally? Have you checked your gauge lately?

Bill Hybels gave a talk one time about the size of his heart. He explained that when God called him to ministry, he entered ministry with a big heart, overflowing with love for God’s people. Over time, as he gave and gave and gave emotionally, he became emotionally depleted, to the point that he forgot how to receive.

You may be like this. It’s easy for you to give to those in need, but receiving is a different story. This is dangerous because, when we cut ourselves off from receiving others’ love, we become emotionally isolated, and the capacity of our heart dwindles. Bill Hybels said that instead of his heart growing and becoming larger as a Christian, he found his heart becoming smaller. Is your
love for people growing?

2 Thessalonians 1:3 says, “…and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.”

What are the things that help you refuel emotionally? Time off? The intimacy of close relationships? Spending time with your closest loved ones? An afternoon of fun with people from your Life Group? Identify the things that help you recharge emotionally, and make
those things a regular part of your life.

The third gauge that’s important to monitor is our spiritual gauge. In 1 Timothy 4:8 Paul said, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things.” We definitely want to make sure that our physical body is in good shape, but even more importantly, we want to make sure that we’re spiritually in good shape. I find at least fi dangers in my own life when I start to drift spiritually from God:

1. I become critical of other people.
It’s ironic that when I’m spiritually struggling, I find myself being judgmental of others..
2. I become extremely negligent in spiritual discipline.
The things that I know are important, such as reading God’s word and spending time with Him in prayer and worship, become the first things I set aside when I’m struggling spiritually. The very things that I need to do most are the things that I neglect.
3. I become vulnerable to sin.
Sin can be an escape. As I drift from God, the things that hurt God’s heart look more appealing.
4. I rationalize sin.
I try to “explain it away.” What does it mean to rationalize? It means to try to make lies sound like truth. And it’s a very dangerous thing to do.
5. I become entangled in religious bondage.
What do I mean by religious bondage? It’s drifting away from a personal relationship with God into a life of “going through the motions.” Going to church becomes a burden rather than a joy, reading God’s Word becomes a discipline rather than a delight, and worship becomes a duty rather than a genuine expression of love.

During these times, I think to myself, “I’ll get back to God, He’ll understand.” Some people have lived this life so long that they’ve departed from spiritual innocence without even remembering when the drift started. What about you? How are you spiritually?

I heard a story about a husband and wife who had been married for twenty years. During this twenty years, a pickup truck had always been the family transportation of choice. One day the husband and wife were driving, and the wife said, “Honey, do you remember when we were first married how we used to always sit side by side in the truck? You’d have your arm around me, and we’d snuggle as you were driving.” The husband looked over at her and said, “Yeah, I remember. I miss those days.” The wife said, “I do, too. I wish we still sat like that.” The husband looked at her soberly and said, “It wasn’t me who moved away.”

If you find yourself struggling spiritually, understand that it wasn’t God who moved away. God is still here for you. God longs to be with you. Go before God honestly today and check your gauges. God wants you to prosper in spirit, soul, and body. Check your emotional gauge, your spiritual gauge, and your physical gauge, and let God refi ll you to overflowing!

Next Steps for Today:

• Identify at least two things that recharge you emotionally.
• Identify one practice or habit you could adopt that would allow you to recharge spiritually and renew your connection with God on a regular basis.
• Sit down with your calendar for the upcoming month and plug in your ideas from above. “Book” time for an emotional and spiritual recharge!

Prayer for Today:
Lord, You know every need we have. You know we need rest and restoration for our spirits and our souls. You’re faithful to provide us so many ways to do this through Your Word, Godly teaching, and the Godly people You place in our lives. Please help us recognize these opportunities and take advantage of them. Grant us emotional and spiritual peace as we seek You in our lives. Bring us back to Your side and into close communion with You, the only place we can find true rest.