Let’s Get Fit

Have you set your spiritual fitness goals for 2013? Yes, you read that right. Spiritual fitness. I’m sure a good majority of you have set some physical fitness goals—in fact, you may be well into your first week of putting them into practice. But what about your spiritual fitness?

I have a prayer I pray for my children based on Colossians 1:10 that asks for them to “grow in their knowledge of Christ.” I love that idea. In fact, I want it for myself. To grow each year, no matter how old I get. Not become stagnant. Not be satisfied with the status quo. I want to be spiritually fit.

So how do you do that exactly— grow in your knowledge of Christ?

The same way you grow in your knowledge of anyone, I guess.

Study Him.

Spend time with Him.

Let Him tell you about himself.

Getting to know anyone takes time. Just as we set aside time to benefit our bodies physically, we need to take time for our spiritual health as well.  So, have you carved out time in your schedule for spiritual growth this year?

Our Tuesday morning Equip Her bible studies start in again next week. If you haven’t signed up, you might want to consider one of these classes as a method of spiritual growth. You can find out about the classes we offer and how to register by clicking on the Winter/Spring 2013 tab above. And, if Tuesday mornings don’t fit in your schedule, you can also check out the Tuesday and Wednesday night studies at the LBC Women’s Ministries page. We’d love to have you join us.

But your growth does not have to be dependent on a class or limited to one event per week. God’s Word is available to us every day in so many ways. Two years ago I set a goal to read through the Bible in a year.  Up until that time, I had read most of the New Testament many times and much of the Old, but had never read through the entire Bible in a set period of time. I chose the One Year Bible NLT and loved the way it combined a section from both the Old and New Testaments each day.  I can’t say I met the reading goal every single day, but I didn’t stress about it and played “catch up” when I needed to. The key was I was reading each day because I wanted to, not because I had to and by the end of the year, I had accomplished something I’d never been able to do. I’d read through the entire Bible.

I enjoyed the experience so much, I did it again last year in a different translation. I used the Daily Message and loved reading old, familiar passages in a whole new way. This year I want to go deeper. Take a book and dwell on it for a while—maybe read it in several translations to really uncover the meat of each passage. And I’ve added a new challenge: Memorization. BIG challenge when you consider that most days my middle-aged mind can’t even remember the names of my own children. But that’s what makes it fun, and there’s nothing like a good challenge to bring about growth.

So, I ask you again. Have you set your spiritual fitness goals for the year? I have, and I hope you’ll join me on this quest to “grow in the knowledge of Christ.” I can think of no better way to start of a new year.