Strengthen What is Weak

For the past few weeks I’ve been in physical therapy. I did something to my shoulder—at my age it might have just been doing something as simple as brushing my hair— and the pain was excruciating. The therapist describes it as a shoulder impingement. Basically, my tendon is pinched every time I move my arm. As a result, my range of motion is limited and I can’t hardly reach behind me without pain radiating down my arm.

The physical therapist told me that the main treatment is strengthening the muscles all around the affected area. To that end, I have exercises I’m assigned each day. I’ve since realized how connected everything is in my body. The time I spend hunched over my computer each day affects my back, which in turns affects my shoulder and arm. Areas of weakness in one location trigger other areas of my body.

And as I’ve labored to strengthen what is weak in my arm, shoulder, and back, I can’t help but think of the parallels to my spiritual life.

When I struggle with sin or find myself slogging through a difficult trial or even find myself in an extended dry season of faith, I wonder, are there areas of weakness that are in some way contributing to it? Or keeping me mired down in the weeds? Or making it more difficult to remember what is true? And if so, what areas in my spiritual life need strengthening? And in strengthening those areas, how might that impact my bigger struggles?

Such weaknesses could be anything. From idols of my heart to plain weariness from living life in a fallen world, there are many areas of my faith that need strengthening. Whether it’s identifying temptations and finding ways to avoid them or developing spiritual habits that feed my soul, when any area of weakness is strengthened, it can only impact my heart for good.

For example, one chronic area of weakness for me is my forgetfulness. I forget the goodness and faithfulness of God. I forget what he has done in the past to deliver me. I forget who I am because of Christ. I forget that he’s given me his Spirit who is at work in me even when I don’t realize it. When I forget these things, it impacts how I face a challenge or trial. When I forget God’s character and then face a difficult struggle, I am likely to think that he has left me, is punishing me, or has forgotten me altogether. When I forget the gospel and who I am because of what Christ has done, I am quick to seek false saviors or rely upon myself. I am also slow to repent and turn from sin. So just like in my physical body, one area of weakness has a ripple effect on the rest.

In truth, I forget all these things when I’m not immersed in the Word where it reminds me who God is and what he has done. I also forget when I’m not responding to what I’ve read through prayer—seeking forgiveness for sin, praising and thanking God for his grace, lamenting my fears and sorrows, and asking for his help and deliverance in my life.

The Word and prayer. Two means of grace whereby we receive the benefits of our salvation. And two key ways God works in us to transform us by the Spirit. Like the exercises I do in physical therapy to strengthen the areas around my injury, these means of grace are used by the Spirit to hot only strengthen our faith but to sanctify us. These means equip us to face what is hard. They help us to identify sin and turn from it. They feed and fuel and sustain us. They change and transform us. Utilizing these means helps us in the face of both temptation and trial. As the psalmist wrote, “With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you…I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word” (Ps. 119:10-11, 15-16). And as our Savior said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

To be honest, the work of physical therapy hurts. Even more than it did when I first injured it! Sometimes I think it would be easier to just not use my arm anymore. After all, I don’t always need two working arms. I could get away with only using one to reach things. Or ask other people to get things for me. But as my therapist tells me, the pain is part of the process. It’s necessary to bring about healing. I need to do the hard work in order to see my arm’s abilities restored.

How true this is in our spiritual lives! The work that the Spirit does to sanctify us is painful. It’s not easy to read and study the Word and allow its probing light to shine upon our sin. It’s not easy to take an honest look at our heart and see areas where we need God’s grace to cleanse and make us new. It’s also stretching and challenging to develop new habits and rhythms to be in the Word and prayer. But whatever stretches us can only make us stronger.

Anyone who has gone through physical therapy or set an athletic goal and achieved it, knows that their labor is not in vain. On the other side of physical therapy or the athletic pursuit, the person is stronger and healthier. How much more so when we utilize the means of grace in our spiritual lives! For as Paul wrote, “for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:8). So utilizing the means God has provided to minister to and strengthen our hearts, through the power of the Spirit, has value not only now, but also into eternity.

Despite the pain, I’m sticking it out with physical therapy and am thankful for the progress I’ve made. Even more, I’m thankful for the grace of God who gave me his Spirit who works in me to change me from the inside out.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Investing in Spiritual Health

In my younger years, I often took my health for granted. Oh, I checked in with a doctor at least once a year and if I was really sick, I sought medical treatment. But I generally gave little thought to my health, other than going to the gym and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.

But the older I get, the more I’ve focused my time and energies on maintaining good health. The more I find myself doing things to maintain the health that I have. The more my supplements have increased. The more time I spend at the doctor.

I see my chiropractor each month for chronic back problems and do stretching exercises each morning to prevent back pain. I see my dermatologist for a yearly skin check and use various creams and lotions each day to protect my skin from the sun. I get an allergy shot each month, regularly dust my house, and take medication as needed to prevent allergic reactions and asthma attacks. Not to mention annual blood work and other tests to monitor my health for any problems.

As one who only goes to the doctor when he is sick, my husband teases me for all these preventative measures. But I’ve learned the hard way that prevention is the best medicine. If I stop stretching my back each morning, I’ll soon find myself whimpering in pain. If I don’t take efforts to protect my skin, I’ll soon myself needing spots biopsied or removed—especially after all those years of soaking in the Florida sun!

I know I’m not alone in the pursuit of good health. Every year around this time we are bombarded with health and wellness ads. We are invited to invest in new exercise equipment, diet programs, and supplements. And to good effect: Americans spend over $4 trillion a year on health and wellness, not to mention all that we spend on medical treatment and prescriptions.

I looked at my calendar recently and saw several yearly check up appointments lined up in a row. As I thought about the time I invest in maintaining my health, I was convicted about my spiritual health.

Do I invest just as much time, effort, and attention to my relationship with God?

If I commit to my physical health in this way, should I not also commit even more to my spiritual health?

And what would it look like if I did?

The Apostle Paul wrote: “for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:8). The time and money we invest in our physical health does have value. It is good to take care of the body God gave us. But such an investment is limited to just this life. The investment we make in godliness, in our spiritual growth, has eternal value. It pays dividends that will last forever.

What does it look like to investment in our spiritual health and growth? It’s not something elaborate or complicated. It’s doesn’t necessitate new inventions or technology. While it does take time, it doesn’t consume time we don’t already have. The method is the same as it was from the start: the means of grace. Prayer. Bible study. Worship. Communion. Fellowship with the Saints. God provides these means to strengthen us in our faith. He uses them to feed and nurture our souls. He uses them to change and transform us into the image of his Son. While commitment to a certain diet or exercise regimen may or may not produce the outcome we desire, commitment to pursuing the means of grace will bear fruit in our lives.

Paul also wrote, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:24-27). Our pursuits to grow in holiness should be intentional, purposeful. We don’t want these pursuits to be aimless; they should push us forward to the goal. Further, Paul urges self-discipline in our appetites and passions—our sin nature— so that they don’t get us off track. This means the pursuit of spiritual health is not for the lazy. It takes work and effort. Our sin nature will want us to slack off and find reasons not to pray or study God’s word. It will find excuses for us not to attend church and worship our Savior. This is why Paul says we must “run that you may attain it” or as the NLT puts it, “run to win!”

The good news is that our efforts to pursue spiritual health and growth are not left to us alone. As Paul wrote elsewhere, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). It is God who ensures that we grow in the knowledge of him. He makes certain we have what we need to live for him (2 Pet. 1:3). He guarantees we finish the race. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). Praise him for this grace at work in our lives!

As we invest in our physical health at the start of this new year, may not forsake our spiritual health. May we run the race of faith to win the prize of Jesus Christ.

We Don't Always Need Something New

I like new things. I enjoy the smell of new things. Sometimes, even the thought of something new is exciting, like planning a trip to somewhere I’ve never been or searching for a new house or looking at paint swatches for a new wall color.

As humans, we love to pursue what’s new. New technology, gadgets, and tools. New methods and strategies. New innovations and discoveries. We love stories of people reinventing themselves. We look forward to new days, new school years, and New Year’s Day.

We also look for the “new” in our spiritual lives.

While new things are helpful (and I often wonder how I lived before Amazon and smart phones!) in our walk with the Lord, we don’t need something new. As we grow in our faith and Christ-likeness, we don’t need a new method. We don’t need an innovative strategy. We don’t need a new “10 Step Guide to Spiritual Growth.” We need exactly what God has provided for us. He’s given us everything we need and it’s been available to us all along.

We need the means of grace.

God has provided ordinary means by which he uses to strengthen and grow our faith. Theologians use the term “means of grace” to describe these means, though the Bible doesn’t use this phrase. In Berkhof’s Systematic Theology, he defines the means of grace as “objective channels which Christ has instituted in the Church, and to which He ordinarily binds Himself in the communication of His grace” (p. 604-605). These are the means God chooses to use, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, in our spiritual growth. God uses these means to draw us closer to himself.

What are these means? They are primarily prayer, the Word of God, and the sacraments.

The Westminster Confession Shorter Catechism puts it this way:

Q. 154. What are the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of his mediation?

A. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to his church the benefits of his mediation, are all his ordinances; especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for their salvation.

God doesn’t change and the means by which we receive his grace hasn’t changed either. Generation after generation, God works in us using the ordinary means of prayer, the Word of God, and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. It is how he feeds and nourishes us spiritually. It is how we abide in him. It’s how we know him. It’s how we grow in him.

We see the early church grow through these means, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers…And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42, 46-47).

The phrase, “means of grace,” reminds us that from beginning to end, our life in Christ is all of grace. Our justification is by God’s grace, our sanctification is by God’s grace, and our future glorification is ensured by God’s grace. “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12). It is not our ability to read God’s word, or how well we listen to the word preached, or how beautiful our prayers, or how faithful we are to take communion which strengthens and grows our faith; it is the Spirit’s use of these means, by the grace of God and for his glory, which transforms us.

This doesn’t mean God never uses other means to communicate his grace to us. While they are the norm, it doesn’t mean God doesn’t use extraordinary means. Certainly there are examples in the Bible of God doing so. But when it comes to the ordinary, daily growth of the Christian, we can trust that God will work through the means he’s promised to use.

So while new things are intriguing and we are quick to ditch old technology for whatever is new, when it comes to growth in the faith, we don’t need something new. We need to read and hear the word preached. We need to seek our Father in prayer. We need the sign and seal of baptism. And we need to join our church family in the feast of the Lord’s Supper.

Let us grow through the ordinary means of grace.