Welcome back as our Spiritual fitness journey continues. Last time we talked a little bit about how important it is to “exercise” – to be disciplined at actively growing our faith and improving our relationship with God.
So now for the fun and exciting part! Let’s dive into discovering the life-changing benefits of getting close to God. When we think about physical fitness we want to hear about the end results. “What am I going to look like or feel like if I stick to this exercise routine or that eating plan?” Knowing the benefits on the other side of the work is what gives us our motivation. So, let’s get motivated, shall we, and discover the glorious benefits we’ll gain from our spiritual exercise.
Connection
Blessing number one is Connection. The more time we spend with God, the more connected we’ll feel. We know this is true in any type of relationship we have. The more time we spend with our spouse, our children, our friends, etc., the more we feel connected to them.
When we’re truly connected to someone, we feel valuable to them, we feel loved by them, and we feel safe and protected by them. There’s a level of trust that comes with that kind of connection.
This same principle applies to our relationship with God. What a blessing to feel our worth to Him, to feel His love for us, and to feel safe in His hands. None of that happens without connection.
Participation
Blessing number two is Participation (or maybe I should say – the awareness of His participation). The more time we spend with God, the more we’ll see His presence. We’ll see God’s hand working all around us. We’ll see the answered prayers in our lives and in the lives of those we pray for.
Many people (including Christians) struggle to believe God actively participates in our daily lives. The truth is – it’s much harder to believe in His participation if we don’t bother to look for it. And we won’t look for it if we’re not engaged in a relationship with Him.
Armor (Protection)
Blessing number three is God’s Armor (or His protection). When we spend time with God daily, we’re more protected. Ephesians chapter 6 tells us about the armor of God and the need to clothe ourselves in it. Going to God on a daily basis is kind of like going to the armory and getting your supplies. If you don’t go to the armory, you don’t get your gear. And if you don’t get your gear – well – you’re not very well protected.
Spending time with God strengthens our armor, strengthens us, and gives us the weapons and the wisdom we need in order to stand firm in our faith to defend against the enemy’s attacks. We may not always be running into battle, but we can be well prepared for an attack.
Fruitfulness
Blessing number four is Fruitfulness. As believers, we are blessed with the Fruit of the Spirit but when we’re not spending time with God the effectiveness of the fruit is lessened. We often tell our kids, “You’ll end up behaving like the people you hang out with.” So, it makes sense, doesn’t it, that the more time we spend with God, the more we’ll behave like Him – the more His fruit will flow through us.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control don’t come naturally. They grow and flow in us as we draw closer to God.
So, there you have it – four fabulous benefits we get from our spiritual exercise. Maybe you’ve come up with some other benefits. Please share them in the comments. I hope knowing what kind of relationship you can have with God gets you excited. Next time, we’ll take a look at some “exercise plans”. God bless and see you at the gym!