Welcome to Think-Biblically.com. You have discovered a place that reveres the Holy Bible. This site strives to spread spiritual knowledge, holy living, and godly influence. For one can only live by what one knows, and in so doing compel others to do likewise.  To think biblically, then, leads one to live rightly and speak courageously.

I do not believe there is any new revelation to be had -- other than what God has already revealed through His Word. Unfortunately we have a hard time understanding what God has revealed. Take for example this ancient truth: our spiritual lives are not derived from our physical lives, rather the opposite is true.

Is physical fitness wrong? Of course not. In fact there are benefits to be had from being in good shape. Being physically fit for the sake of being fit is an exercise in it's own right, but has no eternal value. This is not the body we will have for eternity. If, however, we are thinking of our spiritual life first and growing ourselves from it, staying fit takes on new meaning. Being healthy means we have the energy to do more evangelism, and helping others in need. If the time we spend at the gym or in front of the mirror is for personal satisfaction it has some value, but the time we spend developing ourselves to do Kingdom work has eternal value. If you have been a Christian for long then you have likely heard that our bodies are a mortal shell for an eternal soul. If we truly believe that, the reason for our every action should be an extension of our spiritual life and not the physical.

Even when it comes to sin, we focus our attention on the physical. Physical sins include all manner of sexual sin (in which many have "Pride") and abusiveness including minor violent acts all the way to murder. But there is such a thing as "spiritual sin". What is spiritual sin? Giving credit to Satan (or someone else) for something God has done Mark 3.20-30)l, being unrepentant for sin, not forgiving another, not loving like one should, and more. Focusing on our spiritual self will often resolve our propensity for physical sin. Jesus teaches that our spiritual life is more important than the physical in Matthew 5.27-.30. Jesus tells us, if our right eye causes us to sin, “tear it out”. Likewise with our hand, cut it off if it is the tool of sin. I'm not encouraging anyone to maim themselves, simply making the point that the condition of our bodies is to be of lesser concern than that of our soul.

Am I  saying physical sin is unimportant? Not at all. Physical sin has consequences and will break connections we’ve built with God. What I am saying is that when we favor prioritizing the physical we sacrifice the development of our spiritual life. What would it look like if we prioritized our spiritual life? 

Most people are hard pressed for ideas as to how to develop the soul. Some may suggest prayer and study and memorization of God’s Word. Bravo, these are the mainstays of a living spiritual life. Prayer connects us to God in relationship and the Bible provides us with God's insight into how we ought to live. So these are good places to start, but they are not the only methods to develop our soul.

When speaking to some Israelites Jesus challenged them with a telling statement. They called themselves “children of Abraham” and he said, “If you were really children of Abraham you would do the things that Abraham did.” The implication for the modern believer is clear. If we are going to call ourselves followers of Jesus, then we ought to do the things that Jesus did.

Jesus did spend time in prayer (see Mark 1.25 and Luke 6.12 for just a couple examples). Jesus did spend time reading Scripture (Luke 4.16-.20) and debated with others the meaning of passages of the Bible (Luke 2.46-47 is the first recorded example). So again, these are keystones of spiritual development. But this is not all Jesus did. Jesus tells us that feeding the hungry, giving shelter to those in need, and assisting widows and orphans are all not only good deeds but practices that develop the soul. We may not be able to heal the sick or raise the dead, but there are plenty of things that Jesus did that we can do. Like involving ourselves in the lives of sinners. Often Jesus would confirm for them that they were not living a life pleasing to God while at the same time showing how much he cared about them. He convicted them of their sins so that they would listen to him when he provided the answer about how to have a right relationship with God.

When was the last time you heard a sermon about how to hang out with sinners in a way that honors God? Jesus did that. How about the last sermon you heard about how to befriend people who would eventually let you down and betray you? Jesus did that too. Any sermons on confronting dark spiritual entities?

I hope you are beginning to see what God has shown me, we need to start thinking about who we want to be when we meet God face to face. One thing is certain, we are not going to meet him in our physical bodies. Our mortal shell will be left behind and it will be our spiritual being that is present before the Lord. What will be the condition of our soul? Will it be scrawny and weak? Or buff and full of energy?

When we start deprecating the physical realities of this world in favor of spiritual realities, the desires of the flesh become lessened. One of the key doctrines of Christianity is the hypostatic union – that is that Jesus is both 100% man and 100% God at the same time. How can that be? It’s very much like the way God made us. We are both physical and spiritual beings. The baby God created in Mary’s womb was a vessel for the third member of the trinity. Just as God “dwelt” in a tent the Israelites carried through the desert, and later in the temple of Solomon, so God dwelt in a child that grew into a man.

As such, Jesus felt every temptation that we feel. Yet Jesus shrugged those temptations off far more easily than we do. Why? What was his secret? Yes his spiritual being was perfect which helped, but it was his understanding of eternity and of spiritual reality that enabled him to overcome Satan’s temptations. We can do likewise. Maybe not perfectly, but we can follow his example and be far more successful with defeating temptation than we are when we only focus on the physical side of life.

For example, some may be tempted with food. Gluttony is a physical sin that is very real for many people. One can become consumed with thoughts about food and intensely desire food in an unhealthy way. What would happen if that person realized that every meal had not only a physical reality but also a spiritual one? Why are we so concerned with pleasuring our taste buds when we could be feeding our soul? There is no spiritual gluttony. We can never have too much humility, too much generosity, too much prayer, too many relationships with people who need God’s forgiveness.  I want my soul to be strong with faith, well fed on his Word, and made beautiful by having meaningful attributes like holiness, self-control, mercy and love. In short, I want my soul to be one God can be proud of.

Next time you’re running on a treadmill try thinking about what you can do for someone in need, or how to bless someone in your life. When the physical workout is over, go and perform the spiritual workout you need. Do the things Jesus did. Think of life the way Jesus does – from a spiritual perspective and not a physical one.