Like most people of a certain age, I struggle to maintain my weight. I finished last year a stone heavier than I began it. Since the beginning of this year, through a combination of regular exercise, portion control, a change of diet and self-discipline, I am within touching distance of being back where I was a year ago. I will then need to continue doing all these things to maintain it. In all of this, I am no different to anyone else but I do want to maintain a level of fitness and health that will sustain me into the future. 

Our spiritual life is no different. If we are to retain our spiritual fitness and health, we need to include in our lives the spiritual disciplines that will sustain it. This includes regular exercise through prayer and reading of the word. It means exercising portion control regarding what we allow our minds to dwell on through television, radio or other media. We may even need to change our diet by using daily reading notes, commentaries and other aids to help us understand the Word. But most of all, we need self-discipline to put all of these things in place. The church at large is full of flabby Christians. It is time to get fit and healthy so that we ‘run with endurance the race that is set before us’ (Hebrews 12:1). 

God bless, Richard