Building Spiritual Strength
Gavin has been telling me about his strength-building exercises in athletic class. He talks about how they start lifting at a lower weight, do a certain number of repetitions, increase the weight, and continue with the repetitions. They repeat this process until they reach a final, higher weight and then stop. This is the hard part because it requires a great amount of effort. Additionally, to build muscle strength, he must also eat food with lots of protein and carbohydrates. Eating is the easy and fun part. This is a proven method to building physical strength.
Building spiritual strength occurs in a similar way. Hebrews 5:14 says, “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” To grow strong spiritually, we must eat some solid spiritual food. This means we must study God’s word and wrestle with the spiritual truths that are within it. We must also do some spiritual exercise, or heavy lifting. This means visiting the sick, comforting the bereaved, giving to the church, worshiping with the saints, and many other spiritual activities. We do these things on a regular basis so that we can be spiritually strong.
Just like gaining physical strength, gaining spiritual strength requires effort, but it is not easy to make an effort. The word “effort” means “exertion of physical or mental power” or “an earnest or strenuous attempt.” The words “exertion,” “power,” and “strenuous,” imply a level of involvement beyond merely spectating. To be spiritually strong, one must get involved and do some work. What will we do this year to make an effort for Christ and grow spiritually stronger? The choice is up to us. Will we remain weak or grow stronger?
God bless you, and I love you.
Kevin Cauley