The Need for Spiritual Fitness – Sunday, March 14, 1982
The German philosopher Thomas A Kempis once pointed out that “There is no peace in the heart of a worldly man, who is entirely given to outward affairs, but only in a fervent, spiritual man.”1 And he observed that the stricter we are with ourselves, the greater will be our spiritual progress.
During this age of concern for physical fitness, we need to be sure that we do not forget the need for spiritual fitness. If we let weeks go by without taking time for spiritual “exercise” we increase our susceptibility to spiritual illness. The Lord has assured us that we will be less troubled by the outer world if our inner lives are well-ordered. If we have developed our spirituality, surely this should be one of our goals in life.
Spirituality brings us to that state of being which so many in our society struggle vainly to achieve, using everything from drugs to organic foods, from meditation to music, from self-gratification to psychoanalysis. What they seek can be found only through spirituality.
There is no true ecstasy, no feeling of worth that is not founded upon spirituality. It is the most desirable of all states of being, the strongest of all forces. But one thing is sure, spirituality requires commitment. It cannot be achieved by taking the easy road of selfishness and indulgence.
Spirituality is like knowledge; it accumulates. The things you learn today help you learn more tomorrow. As you add knowledge, your life becomes meaningful and fulfilling. The same is true for spirituality.
The Savior told us, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.”2 Jesus wants each of us to take up our own cross and make our own spirituality-building decisions. And he didn’t mean we should give up our lives in the literal sense, but that we should lose our lives in a greater cause, in the cause of spirituality.
He knew that the spiritual road, the road of self-mastery and service to others, is the only road to true happiness.
If we make the effort now to develop greater depth and strength in our spiritual lives, we will find that a balanced combination of physical and spiritual well-being is a cure for many of today’s ills.
1 Thomas A’ Kempis, “Counsels on the Spiritual Life.” The imitation of Christ, Penguin Books, 1975, p. 34.
2 New Testament, Matthew 16:24-25
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March 14, 1982
Broadcast Number 2,743