The currency of the Spirit Realm is voluntary sacrifice of the flesh.
By implication, it means rejecting this entire Fallen Realm as untrustworthy. It’s one thing to know all about this world and the mechanics; it’s another thing entirely to decide what you ought to do with that knowledge in any given context. Spiritual priorities seldom make any kind of sense to folks who are unaware of the Spirit Realm. For them, various urges to make the most of our existence here are all there can be.
Thus, we tend to see people admiring those who push the envelope, even as the majority would never push themselves that hard. Any number of human flaws will prevent it. They may still admit it, but it’s a paradoxical reaction that they seem disappointed when someone else backs off something they wish they could have done themselves. What’s crazy here is the disconnect between what they believe and what they actually do. It’s the common human hypocrisy.
While those in the Spirit are seldom any better in terms of performance, a truly spiritual person would not suffer hypocrisy in terms of what they desire. The Spirit measures human activity in terms of desire to please God, not in terms of measurable achievement. Just because I know how to “get the most” from this or that information, it may not matter at all. A spiritual person is balancing between what’s ideal and what’s real based on something other than laziness or hypocrisy; it’s based on what matters in the Spirit Realm.
We struggle to translate that to folks who don’t think along spiritual lines.
I have no intention of showing off proudly what I’ve accomplished. To me, the image posted here is merely the simplest way to indicate a promise kept. I posted here a couple of years ago that God had called me to get serious about physical fitness. That’s not a goal to achieve, but a commitment that ends only when the Spirit changes the marching orders. For those of you who pay any attention at all and want to see some proof of what faithfulness can bring, here is a quick and easy indicator. I have hit the equilibrium point and further significant progress is unlikely. That’s not because my body is complaining and refuses to push the envelope farther. That’s because the Spirit of God has given me a sense of peace about having reached this point. It’s a milestone, a marker on the path.
I still have plans to hit the gym three days weekly and pump that iron. However, I’m now in a maintenance phase, not catching up. My duty to you as my virtual congregation is to offer some evidence that if I can do it, you can too. Not specifically getting physically fit — sure, do so if you feel moved. Yes, it’s quite an accomplishment given my injuries and arthritis. There are some exercises I simply cannot do, yet I still get the results another way.
The point is that you can also obey what the Spirit of God calls you to do and know that His peace is within reach.
57 years; 210 pounds.
