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

 

Walk the Walk!

Photo by Jennifer Huber 2013

Hypocrisy plagues our world today, and even our churches, because there is spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). Even Heaven’s doorway is darkened by the devil! (Job 1:6-7). Satan has his minions strategically placed in leadership of world governments, commerce, finance, industry, educational institutions, entertainment, churches and religious organizations (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

In any gathering of two or more, there will be politics, and even when two or more are gathered in the Name of Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:20), there will be impostors who claim to be Christians but who do not know Christ (Titus 1:16). These “talk the talk,” putting on a good front, dressing up for church and sitting in the front pew, giving regularly and doing good works (and making sure everyone knows about it!)

But how many actually walk the walk? More so in the past than in the present day, there were social, political, and networking advantages to being a Christian, even if in name only. But all the religious works even the best person could muster cannot save the soul  – only the shed blood of Christ can do that, by His grace through our faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

It is easy to want the blessings God has promised His children, and even to praise Him when things go our way. But do we praise and thank Him in the trials (Ephesians 5:20), realizing we are meant to share in His sufferings (2 Corinthians 1:7; 1 Peter 4:13; 5:1) as part of our spiritual inheritance? (Romans 8:17). Are we willing to take up His cross and follow Him? (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23).

I believe there will be many surprises regarding who is “left behind” after the Rapture (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17), including many regular churchgoers, church leaders, and even pastors who treat their vocation as just a job to generate income rather than a calling to serve Christ and feed His sheep (John 21:17).

Even among the original twelve disciples who walked with, learned from and served Jesus for more than three years, there was an impostor. Judas Iscariot, in a position of leadership as treasurer (John 13:29), was actually the “son of perdition” (John 17:12). Satan entered Judas (Luke 22:3; John 13:2,27) and used him to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15; 27:3,9), the going price in that day for a common bondservant.

In the ultimate irony, Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss so that His captors would recognize Him (Mark 14:44; Luke 22:48). As our pastor likes to say, “The lips that kissed the Door of Heaven went straight to hell.” So we cannot assume that anyone sitting next to us in the pew, or even in church leadership, is saved, for only God knows the hearts (1 Samuel 16:7).

That is why the apostle Paul, under Holy Spirit inspiration, so carefully explained not only sound doctrine, but the need for discernment regarding teachers and teachings. We must know what we believe and compare what we hear from others with the absolute truth of the Word of God.

As we continue our study in the book of Titus, we see that Paul established qualifications for pastors that ultimately serve as an example for all of us. Pastors must be blameless (Titus 1:6-7), which is impossible in the natural, for all of us have a sin nature since Adam disobeyed God and brought the curse of sin upon mankind (Genesis 3).

To be blameless, therefore, we must be born again (John 3:3-8) by trusting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, placing our faith in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6). Only then can we be blameless in God’s sight, for when the Father looks at His children, He no longer sees our sins, but only the perfect righteousness of His Son (Romans 3:22-25). Jesus Christ paid for all our sins (John 1:29), crediting His righteousness to our account and reconciling sinful man to Holy God (2 Corinthians 5:18).

Paul writes that the pastor must be married with obedient children (Titus 1:6), which is surely no guarantee that a man is saved. Yet it gives him an opportunity to live out the Gospel in his own home, loving his wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it, and demonstrating his leadership in Christ by encouraging his own family to grow in God’s grace (Ephesians 5:25-33; 6:4).

The pastor must be a faithful steward of God (1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Timothy 3:15), putting the needs of others before his own; controlling his temper, not drinking or being violent, and not motivated by greed or financial gain (Titus 1:7; 1 Timothy 3:8; 1 Peter 5: 2). While abstaining from these negative behaviors, the pastor must also demonstrate positive qualities of hospitality, loving good things, sobriety, justice, holiness and temperance (Titus 1:8).

Hospitality was especially important in Bible times, when Christians travelling to spread the Gospel depended on the generosity of their brethren to open their homes, their hearts, and their purses to further God’s kingdom (Romans 12:10,13; 3 John 5:).

Although many men are hospitable by nature, others believe “My home is my castle” and tend to prefer their privacy. Or they may be reluctant to open their home to others if their pride leads them to believe their home doesn’t measure up to self-imposed standards of wealth, decor or housekeeping.

We tend to think of hospitality as more of a female trait, and this may be yet another example of where Godly Titus 2 women may encourage and facilitate this quality in their husband. Opening the home to others may be a more natural outgrowth of the Proverbs 31 woman’s role in caring for her husband, children and household, regardless of whether it is a mansion or a thatched hut.

But it’s not really hospitality if we resent doing it! It should be practiced with an open, accepting and loving heart (1 Peter 4:9), anticipating the blessings of giving to others, and realizing that by practicing hospitality, we may be entertaining angels without even realizing it! (Hebrews 13:2)

Are we walking the walk, or just talking the talk? Only God knows our hearts, but our behavior and lifestyle can communicate volumes to those who can be inspired or discouraged by our testimony.

If we tell others we’re committed to improving our physical fitness, and we even sign up for a gym membership and buy exercise equipment, it’s just a lot of hot air unless we work out regularly and intensely. When friends come over and notice dustbunnies on our free weights, and piles of clothes hanging from our treadmill, they’re not going to follow our advice for them to exercise. Especially when they notice that we’re still out of shape!

Similarly, if our church family sees us skipping church to hang out on the beach or at the mall, or drinking and partying with friends, or losing it when things don’t go our way, we’re being a stumbling block to their spiritual development (Romans 14:13; 1 Corinthians 8:9). We can't rely on "Do as I say, not as I do," for we must lead by example, as did Paul (Philippians 4:9; 2 Timothy 3:14).

May we walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16,25) worthy of His calling (Ephesians 4:1). Let’s walk the walk, pick up Christ’s cross, and follow Him!

© 2017 Laurie Collett