Following Jesus as a dedicated Christian is truly the most alternative lifestyle one can choose to live in America today. Following Jesus means we are going against the flow of conventional wisdom, cultural norms and societal expectations. We have chosen to focus on eternity rather than on the earthly. Our focus is not on things but on obedience. We value people more than our own position. We died to being in control the moment we received Jesus as our Savior. We forgive rather than holding a grudge. We stay pure rather than following passion. We show grace rather than run people over. We have peace in stressful situations. We have joy when others only find sorrow. We look at the heart of a person rather than their actions. We take time to listen rather than spend our energy making sure we are heard. We don't waste time and money on those movies, TV shows, DVDs, etc which glorify sin, swearing, sex and violence. We don't laugh at other's pain, but comfort them. We reach out to those who have been forgotten and shunned by society. We have kind words for those who speak abusively. The list goes on and on, but if you are walking with Jesus, you know what I'm talking about. Followers of Christ are radicals and rebels who have chosen an alternative lifestyle which flies in the face of the cultural values around us.
I say all that as a lead in to Sunday's sermon. If you were at Hillcrest on Sunday, I would encourage you to go to our web site (www.hillcrestbaptist.net) and listen when it comes on-line. Also, you will want to read I Corinthians 9:24-27 if this blog is to make sense in the context of what I am about to say. This passage has two areas of focus: (1) Care for the physical body and (2) Care for our faith. I want to spend a moment reminding us of how our alternative lifestyle should affect our care for the physical body.
Today, 15-20 of Americans of all ages are obese. USA Today states that by 2030, 42% of Americans will probably be obese unless there are some radical lifestyle changes. In the church, we probably have even more obesity than in the rest of culture. We spend a lot of energy talking about the care for our faith, but neglecting to talk about the care of our bodies. My own thought on the reason behind this: Most pastors aren't taking care of their bodies, so they avoid the subject. However, this should not be the case. Unfortunately, whenever there is a sermon or Bible study lesson on caring for the body, we make a huge mistake. We set the wrong goals, which simply lead to guilt and unfulfilled expectations. Some of these goals are...
-"I will lose x amount of weight"
-"I will go to the gym x amount of time per week"
-"I will exercise x amount of minutes per day"
-"I will stop drinking...sodas, coffee, energy drinks. etc."
-"I will stop eating fast food"
-"I will only eat salads until I get to x weight"
-"I will stop smoking cigarettes"
All of the above mentioned goals are fine are secondary goals, but are miserable as the primary goal. If our primary goal is to lose twenty pounds, what happens when we gain one pound? Or what happens when the weight doesn't come off? When losing weight is the goal, we can develop unhealthy habits which could lead to things like bulimia or taking dangerous supplements.
Let me offer an alternative primary goal. This goal fits hand-in-hand with living an alternative lifestyle. I submit that this should be our primary goal in caring for the body: Our goal is to develop a healthy lifestyle which will honor God. With this as our goal, we are freed from the pressure of the scales, calorie counting and gym-hour counting. This allows us to focus on our bodies allowing us to be effective in ministry, while taking away the cultural pressure of having the perfect body. Ultimately, I am out to honor God, not a societal value, my spouse or even my own warped way of looking at my body/health.
To accomplish this primary goal, I have found four secondary goals to be effective as an overall lifestyle, rather than just managing the minimal goals of losing weight, times at the gym, etc.
#1 - Exercise with disciple and faithfulness
Exercise is the key to a healthy lifestyle because exercise builds our most important muscle - the heart. We make exercise a daily habit, in which we push our bodies to an elevated heart rate. You can research the best way to do that for a person of your age, weight and physical shape. One size doesn't fit all. The key is to be consistent, which requires discipline. Good thing self-control is already given to us by the Holy Spirit.
#2 - Eat Healthier
Notice, I said healthier, not healthy. This takes into account where we are physically and allows us to transition to more healthy eating. Some people can totally change their eating habits, but most of us would fail to cut out all fast food, snacks, junk food, etc. in the first week. We usually can't go wrong by eating more fruits and vegetables. Our bodies actually crave the nutrients from fruits and vegetables, but we have program our brains to eat junk food when we sit in front of the TV. Maybe we need to start taking a lunch to work instead of eating out. Maybe we need to eat five small meals per day rather than three large ones. Maybe we need to stop eating food after 8:00 at night. Maybe we need to start eating breakfast rather than grabbing a cup of coffee or sucking down an energy drink. The goal is to develop a healthy lifestyle by honoring God.
#3 - Drink healthier
Too many of us drink coffee, sodas and energy drinks and don't drink enough water. Water is the best drink for us. It also helps to wash out some of the toxins we take into our bodies which are contained in the foods we eat. Drinking more water will radically alter our bodies. At first, it may seem like our bodies are listless and tired, but remember, we are developing a healthy lifestyle - The exercise we are doing will give us energy and focus.
#4 - Not mastered by anything
We call these things addictions. We can be addicted to cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol, sodas, fast food, laziness and a number of other unhealthy addiction. If we cannot go six months without something, we are addicted. We also need to beware of rationalizing our unhealthy choices. I know people who try to convince me that alcohol is good for them by saying studies show a glass of wine per day is good for the body. That may be true, but the benefits of that glass of wine can be found in so many other places. Also, I rarely find anyone who actually only drinks a glass of wine per night. We simply try to rationalize away our unhealthy choices. We all do this. Make a decision to not be mastered by anything but be a servant to Jesus. Cigarettes are destructive task-masters!! Most addictions are.
I share these thoughts with you because I want us to have bodies which will allow us to effectively minister for Christ for the duration of our lives. So rather than focus on secondary goals, let focus on the primary goal of developing a healthy lifestyle which will honor God. The results won't show overnight, but in a year's time, you will see God giving you more opportunities to serve because you can physically handle that opportunity. May God bless you as you seek to follow an alternative lifestyle which is pleasing to God.
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