Balancing Physical & Spiritual

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it”
John 17:15-16

There is a temptation to compartmentalize body and spirit. Spiritual principles may seem fine for forgiveness of sin and worship, but not seem to have much, if any, relevance to, say, what we do at the beach. The Bible may be viewed as a map to heaven, but not to how we live the next 20 minutes. This is why we may not have a passing spiritual thought when shopping for clothing, choosing a career, looking for someone to date, or deciding what moving to watch tonight.

We are physical creatures with physical wants and needs. So, how much emphasis should we put on physical things? But we are also spiritual – in God’s image. So, we know we need to be more like Him. How do we balance this?

Spiritual, not physical? God is not insisting that we deny that we are physical. There will be times when we must choose spiritual over physical, but our physical and spiritual sides can and must co-exist. This can find expression through obedience – submitting to God in mind and body by accepting and doing the will of God. It is not enough to say we will give God our spirits but not our physical bodies. Jesus asked, “…why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things I say?” (Lk 6:46). Without obedient action, faith is dead (Ja 2:17). Serving God in spirit (heart and mind) must bear fruit in physical action (Mt 7:20).

Physical, not spiritual? There are times when it is hard to see the application of spiritual principles: the beach, sporting events, parties, business deal, etc. It’s when certain things are accepted and expected that we may have trouble seeing things through the eyes of God. But there is never a physical situation without a spiritual perspective. True disciples stop, think, and look for the will of God and how to be godly in thought and action.

Body and spirit need not remain separate and at odds with each other. In Christ, body and spirit can become one in service to Him – our spirits, in faith, guiding our bodies in obedience to God.                            dd