SPIRITUALLY LEAN

And He gave them their request;
but sent leanness into their soul.
Psalm 106:15

Doctor's visits have never been my idea of a fun time. Several years ago, I went for my annual check up. The doctor had news for me that I continue to live with. He told me that I have Diabetes II and would need to go on medication and drastically change my lifestyle. One thing he said had to be done was that initially, I had to lose at least 50 pounds. I knew I was overweight...I didn't need to be told that. It had happened over a matter of years, mostly because of careless eating habits. I was anything but lean in physical body. I managed to lose that weight in a few months through diet and in walking my feet off at least five days a week. I felt better, but was still not the lean person my doctor had in mind. There are, however, other ways to be lean other than in a physical sense.

Psalm 106 is a wonderful, historical Psalm that speaks of God's mercy to Israel. This Psalm speaks of God's goodness in delivering the Israelites from Egyptian captivity. God made every provision for the people's escape. Even when the Egyptians chased them to the Red Sea, God provided a way of escape for them. They had prayed for deliverance and God saved them by destroying the Egyptians. Shortly after that incident though, the above verse appears almost as an indictment regarding their ingratitude and disregard for God's goodness. In a short amount of time, the Israelites constructed their golden calf to worship while Moses was on Mt. Sinai with God.

God's people were blessed beyond words. Their prayers and answers to them were evident and yet they still showed an ingratitude for the blessings of God in their lives. They were a people who murmured and complained of what they considered their sorry state. They complained for lack of the right foods to eat, water and even the leadership of Moses, God's chosen leader.

When Scripture speaks of leanness of soul, it has nothing to do with a physical state of being thin in body mass. The Israelites had prayed only for their well being and then was quick to forget God's blessings. Spiritually, they were skinny as rails....how sad. The things that brought leanness to their souls are the same things that can bring the same leanness to our souls. We live in a day that is filled with distractions, things that can pull and tug at us just as some of those things did with the Israelites. We may, too, become ungrateful.

Physically, I think all of us would like to be what I think of as “healthily lean”....not obese but not a skeleton with skin on. A happy medium is the ideal. Until a few years ago, I had never really thought of our opening verse regarding spiritual leanness. Spiritually, our goal shouldn't be to be lean, but to be healthy, strong and even muscular in our spiritual growth and appearance. Those three things can happen if we pay attention to our spiritual health.

Spiritual health-Just like with physical health, we have to feed on the right things. God has provided His Word for us. Jesus is our bread and provides living water for us that can't ever be exhausted.

Strength-As much as I hate to admit it, physical exercise actually strengthened me as well as helping to be rid of baggage my body didn't need. Perhaps there is baggage that is hindering us spiritually, slowing us down. There may be habits or associations that are keeping us loaded down, contributing to the sapping of spiritual strength.

Muscular: We will be weak unless we build some spiritual muscles. That is going to come not only as we keep in close relationship with the Lord, but serving Him and others. We also need to put on God's armor on a daily basis to fight off the attacks of Satan. Then, we are really called on to flex our spiritual muscles.

Christians who are lean in spirit are folks who often yearn for some of the world's things that amuse or entertain that aren't best for them...OR...worry may become a real habit or even preoccupation for some...OR...finally, there can be a loss of interest in the things of God. This can be evident to an individual who doesn't read their Bible on a regular basis, pray or actively participate with God's people in a church setting. There will always be indicators of the onset of spiritual leanness mostly seen in a loss of interest in the things of God.

In this Fall season, we are soon to have major times ahead of us. They too can occupy our interest leading to an ignoring of the things of God. Whether we are looking to upcoming holidays or election day, we must guard our hearts and thinking. Some upcoming events can take over our minds and spirits with anger, unanswered questions and overall bitterness. Our focus must remain on our Father who is in charge of everything...Who knows What He's doing in all events of our history. We need to stay strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Whether we know it or not, there are folks who count on our spiritual strength and influence. We have no time in these days to be lean in our souls.

Father, keep me strong in You.  Keep my eyes on You and not on the people and things of this world.  I want to be what You want me to be for You in such a way that it brings glory to You in every way. I love you...in Jesus precious name...Amen