Here are four vital signs of a healthy spiritual life.
Hunger and Thirst
Jesus said “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matt 5:6) and the psalmist certainly was blessed because he had this thirst for God that was unquenchable. The psalmist wrote, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1), and “meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways” (Psalm 119:15). That’s a sure sign of a healthy spiritual life.
Desire to Serve
People who are spiritually healthy have a zeal for the Lord that can only be channeled by serving others. There are so many places in churches these days that are left unfilled and local charities that need help. There are so many opportunities for someone to do some good things for God, but so few find them. If you cannot help but serve, even outside of the church, you must be a spiritually healthy person.
Overflowing Joy
Our music worship leader is so full of joy that he cannot even contain himself during worship services. While he’s leading in song, he comes close to shouting the lyrics because he is so full of the joy of the Lord. For him, I could honestly say, the “joy of the Lord is [his] strength” (Neh 8:10). And his joy is contagious, and why shouldn’t he be joyful? He’s bound for heaven. His spiritual life is vitally healthy and his joy shows it.
An Obvious Love
A person who has been born again (John 3:3-7) has been given a new heart and is a new creation in Christ (2nd Cor 5:17), and as a new creation, they will new desires. They will express their love to God by their obedience, just as Jesus said, “If you love me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Someone that loves God will strive to obey God, and that obedience is a sign of someone who’s spiritually healthy.
Conclusion
If you are trying to assess if you or someone else is spiritually healthy, they should have at least some hunger for the Word of God and the things of God; they should have a deserve to be used by God in serving others; they should be overflowing with joy that it’s contagious; and they should also have a love that expresses itself in visible signs of obedience.
May God richly bless you,
Pastor Jack Wellman
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