Something vital to physical exercise is just as vital to your spiritual well being

For all of you who are serious about your fitness workouts, executing a full range of motion in every exercise is crucial for optimal outcomes (I wrote about this yesterday, you can find that blog post here). But did you know there’s a spiritual version of “full range of motion” as well?

Just as in physical exercise executing a full range of motion is crucial (because it maximizes muscle engagement, enhances flexibility, and reduces the risk of injury), the same is true of exercising a “full range of motion” as disciples of Jesus as well.

And just like we’re tempted to skimp on technique in our exercises and make them easier by not executing a full range of motion, we routinely try to do the same in our followership of Jesus.

Be a student of the Word? Okay … 10 minutes in a devotional that has a single verse of scripture with a few paragraphs of someone telling you what that one verse meant. A “full range of motion” would be not only reading your Bible, but making time to study it as a serious student of Jesus.

Foster a life of prayer? Sure … ask God to “guide and protect you” as you run out the door to work, and quickly ask His “blessing” before each meal, plus a little something muttered before slipping into sleep at night. That’s easier than the “full range of motion” of “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17) or praying for those who persecute you (Mt. 5:44).

Or how about this failure of a spiritual “full range of motion” that seemed to annoy Jesus? “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?” Luke 6:46.

When you fail to execute a full range of motion in your physical exercises, you dramatically reduce any positive results from your effort. The same is true in your spiritual life. When we fail to execute a “full range of motion” in our Christian lives, some of the reduced results include:

Shallow faith. Without fully engaging with scripture and prayer, our understanding of God’s will remains superficial, leading to a weak and easily shaken faith.

Stunted growth. Neglecting to apply biblical principles in daily life stunts spiritual growth, resulting in immature and ineffective Christian living.

Lack of fruitfulness. Failing to practice love, kindness, and forgiveness can hinder the development of the fruit of the Spirit, reducing our impact on others.

Weakened witness. Inconsistent obedience to Christ’s teachings can make our testimony and representation as His ambassadors less credible, hindering our ability to lead others to faith.

If you want the fullest benefit from the hard work and sweat you pour into your workouts, you’ll have to get serious about proper form and technique, which demands a full range of motion with every single repetition of every exercise. And if you’re really serious about becoming more like Jesus and following in His steps, you’ll have to get serious about your spiritual “full range of motion” as well.

Scotty