Exercising Our Faith

By Dean Collins

Tip of the day: Don’t be a fat shepherd or a fat sheep. These are the basic instructions that Ezekiel made clear in the thirty-fourth chapter. The prophet wasn’t primarily concerned about food intake, but I think he may well have included it as a symptom of the problem for God’s people to pay attention to, both in Ezekiel’s day and now.

I am neither a medical doctor nor a nutritionist, but I think that eating healthy is one factor—but not all the factors—in being overweight. Genetics, metabolism, hormones, disease, and other factors come into play in body weight. And similarly, in the spiritual health realm, what we take into our minds is only one factor in our spiritual maturity. 

Almost every pastor, priest, and biblical scholar encourages reading the Bible. A good and consistent spiritual meal comes from reading God’s word. And the same spiritual leaders would recommend reading the gospels, the epistles, the books of law, the prophets, and the wisdom literature. All these books of scripture are relevant and helpful in navigating life and help us prepare to be used by God for kingdom purposes. 

One of the challenges we have in becoming a healthy sheep is that we also need to exercise. Here is some good news for those who don’t like exercise. Spiritual exercise is not about weight training. Spiritual exercise is the practice of doing what Jesus asks of us in the scriptures. In the epistle of James, we are reminded to take a look in the mirror:

 “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.”

If we read God’s word but fail to exercise our faith and do the kingdom work we are assigned, then we will be just like the guy James wrote about. 

 James wasn’t the only one who talked about the importance of practicing or exercising our faith. As Jesus wrapped up his sermon on the mount, he told his audience, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24). Healthy disciples don’t just take in God’s word daily; they practice them as well.

Both Ezekiel and Jesus gave emphasis to practicing justice. Both in Ezekiel 34 and in Matthew 25, it is clear that good shepherds focus not on themselves and their comfort but rather the needs of others. 

Father, today we confess that we often take in your words and yet fail to practice them. Forgive us for the many times we have received your love, your grace, and your provision but stubbornly held onto these things without passing them on to others. Today as we receive your words, we ask that you use our lives to bless those around us, especially those in great need. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Ezekiel 34:11-31; John 10:11-15; Matthew 9:36; James 1:22-25 ESV

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