Spiritual Triathlon

Photo by Funk Dooby 2015

 A triathlon is an endurance race consisting of three consecutive events, usually swimming, cycling and running long distances. I have neither the inclination nor the stamina to participate in such an event, although I admire those who do!

While at our favorite beach getaway, though, I do enjoy my own kind of modified triathlon, first swimming alone in a refreshing outdoor pool surrounded by hibiscus, tall evergreens and palms and frequented by mourning doves, butterflies and a pair of osprey tending to their nest atop one of the Norfolk Island pines.

Then I join my husband for a long walk on the beach, searching for special treasures and enjoying the antics of sea birds frolicking at the water’s edge, a squadron of pelicans flying overhead, and even dolphins surfacing and diving not far from shore. In the afternoon, we often cycle through charming beach neighborhoods and have to pedal hard to make it up the steep bridges connecting the barrier islands!

These consecutive forms of exercise got me thinking about analogies in our spiritual life. The apostle Paul told Timothy that physical exercise profits us a little, but that flexing our spiritual muscles is far more important, for godliness is profitable for all things, in this world and the next (1 Timothy 4:8). Yet physical exertion has its place. Paul and other occupants of a ship sailing to Italy were saved from drowning and shipwreck by swimming to shore (Acts 27: 41-44).

Other mentions of swimming in Scripture are mostly metaphorical and refer to God’s infinite power. To accomplish His purposes, He can even make iron swim, or float on water (2 Kings 6:6). To save His people, He will spread forth his hands in the midst of their enemies as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim, conquering pagan nations (Isaiah 25:11-12), and He will fill rivers where His enemies once swam with their own blood (Ezekiel 32:5-6).

New Jerusalem, our heavenly home, will be supplied by a river of blessing so deep that we will be completely submerged in it and will swim through it to fully experience its goodness and provision! (Ezekiel 47:1-5). These living waters (Zechariah 14:8) constitute the pure river of water of life gracing the Heavenly City (Revelation 22:1-2). Jesus Christ Himself is the Living Water (Song of Solomon 4:15; Jeremiah 2:13; 17:13), which He freely gives those who believe in Him (John 4:10).

Water baptism (Acts 8:36-39) does not save us (Mark 16:16; John 3:18), but it is a glorious picture of our faith, by which we are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9), in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). When we are submerged beneath the water, we depict the burial of Jesus Christ, and dying to our sin nature, to be raised to new life in Him! (Romans 6:4). Once we are saved by believing in Jesus Christ, living water flows from us to nourish others (John 7:38). What a transformation from the sorrow we experienced when we had no hope, expressed by the psalmist David as swimming in his bed overflowing with tears! (Psalm 6:6).

Running is a key component of most triathlons, but even the most hardened runners must sometimes walk to recover between sprints. Scripture tells us that we should walk in love (Ephesians 5:2), walk in light (Ephesians 5:8; 1 John 1:7), and walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16,25). Not coincidentally, God is love (1 John 4:8), God is light (1 John 1:5), and God is a Spirit, and we must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

Our Christian walk refers to our thoughts, lifestyle and behavior. Although we are saved by faith and not by works (Galatians 2:16), we are Christ’s workmanship, saved to do good works ordained by Him since before time to glorify Him and benefit others (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 3:8; James 2:14-26).

If we bring our sin nature under subjection, we can run with patience the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1) until we cross the finish line entering Heaven! Paul encourages us to be inspired by athletes who run for an earthly, temporal prize, yet to realize that the race we run is of far more significance (1 Corinthians 9:24), and that its rewards are eternal!

Cycling was not a thing in Bible times, but we could substitute fighting in this analogy of a spiritual triathlon, not in the sense of brawling or contention, but rather of being a warrior in God’s army. The patriarch Jacob fought so earnestly in prayer that he wrestled all night with God Himself, until God agreed to give him a great blessing (Genesis 32:24-30).

Like any good soldier, we must endure hardness (2 Timothy 2:3-4), obey our Commander (John 14:15,21), and fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7). In spiritual warfare, God gives us His armor of protection (Ephesians 6:10-18), He is the Victor (1 Corinthians 15:57), and in Him we must prevail! 

© 2022 Laurie Collett

 

In God’s Army

I dreamed that I was being conscripted into the Armed Forces and sent to a different country for boot camp. My husband is helping me pack. I take three pairs of ballroom dance shoes, made of cloth rather than leather, and am pleased that they fold up compactly and fit easily in my duffel bag. I realize that I don’t have a military ID, but my husband says I can use his, because “they’ll never check.”

Upon awakening and thinking about the meaning of the dream, I realized that once we are saved and born again (John 3:3-8) by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), we are not meant to be passive bystanders, but to be soldiers in God’s army. He has designed each of us specifically for His unique purpose, each individual assigned their own rate and rank, working together corporately under the command of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12).

Yet He also has a general plan that applies to the life of every believer – our marching orders, if you will. We are to seek God’s kingdom first, and His righteousness, and then He will supply each of us with all our needs (Matthew 6:33). Each of us is to spread the Good News, or Gospel message, so that others can be recruited into His ranks (Matthew 28:18-20). Each of us is to love Him and one another (Luke 10:27), following His commandments (John 14:15), which is only possible through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 7). Each of us is to study and follow His Word (2 Timothy 2:15), which is the code of conduct we must live by.

The dance shoes in this dream could represent the talent of dance God has given me to serve Him through our dance ministry, with the three pairs reflecting both the Trinity (Galatians 4:6) and man’s number (6; the total number of shoes). Their being made of cloth, easily folded and packed, could indicate my desire to carry this gift with me into my service in God’s army, to be flexible in its use even in what seems to be an incongruous situation.

Dance shoes would seem to be a strange weapon of choice. Yet throughout Scripture, God has used not only ordinary people, but ordinary things, to accomplish His purpose. David carried five smooth stones to the battle in which God used him to fell Goliath (1 Samuel 17:40-51); a small boy gave his lunch for Jesus to transform into a feast for thousands (John 6:5-13); and Christ’s followers used palm fronds to worship Him (Matthew 21:1-9). What matters is not what we bring to the battle, but whether we yield ourselves and what He has given us to His command.

Yet the dance shoes may represent not only our dance ministry, but also a personal passion of mine to express myself through dance. This could be a warning not to be encumbered with personal desires as we seek to follow and obey Him. The shoes in the dream were not made of the customary supportive and durable leather, but rather of cloth that could easily wear out or even cause blisters or a twisted ankle.

Not exactly combat boots! While dancers strive to have pretty feet, with flexibility and line enhanced by proper footwear (Song of Solomon 7:1), Scripture refers to beautiful feet as belonging to those who preach the Gospel (Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:15). Christ’s disciples and missionaries throughout the ages have trod on dusty, rocky roads, no doubt with calloused, bleeding feet, lacking physical attractiveness but reflecting the spiritual beauty of the truth of salvation.

In His second letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul warned his young protégé to endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, and not to get entangled with the affairs of this life; that he may please Christ, who chose him to be a soldier (2 Timothy 2:2-3). Like Timothy, all believers are to fight the good fight of faith so that we may lay hold of eternal life (1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7).

The centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant sick with the palsy recognized that His authority far exceeded his own over the many soldiers he commanded, and that His spoken Word was sufficient to bring about the healing he desired. In turn, Jesus commended him for his great faith and granted his request by merely speaking it as a fait accompli. (Matthew 8:9-13; Luke 7:1-10). May we have such faith!   

Not having my own military ID in the dream, and considering using my husband’s ID, was a reminder that each of us must pledge our own allegiance to our Supreme Commander. We must each have our own identity in Christ by personally asking Him to be Lord and Savior of our life.

We can’t depend on church membership, or being born into a Godly family, or associating with Christians to get us into Heaven (Ephesians 2:8-9). If that is our only claim to salvation, we will be sorely disappointed. It’s not enough to talk the talk -- we have to walk the walk, not only in the good works that spring from our salvation (James 2:18-26), but in our heart attitude of trusting and obeying Christ.

Those without that personal allegiance to Him face an eternal future in hell rather than in Heaven, as Christ bars them from the gates of pearl (Revelation 21:21) with the words, “Depart from me, for I never knew you.”  (Matthew 7:21-23).

But those of us with legitimate credentials – those who trust only in the blood of Christ to wash away our sins (Romans 3:25, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14) and have been sealed with the Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13, 4:30) – will be enlisted in the most glorious army of all time.

After the Rapture of believers (1 Corinthians 15:52-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17) and Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9), Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 17:14; 19:16), will return to earth to defeat the enemies of Israel, Antichrist, the false prophet, and Satan, with the Word of His mouth. Accompanying Him will be an army of all believers of every time and nation, each in fine white linen, riding a powerful white horse (Revelation 19:11-21).

In my dream, I was packing for boot camp in a different country. In a way, our life on earth is like the boot camp where we are being trained for that great ultimate battle, which will take place once we have attained citizenship in a new, heavenly country.

May we be willing to endure the hardness of battle for the blessing and honor of being in God’s army, not only in this life, but when Jesus Christ comes again! 

© 2022 Laurie Collett