Pensamientos para hoy (afterthought for today)
Spiritual stretching
Take this test. First steady yourself with your left hand by holding onto a table or the back of a chair. Bend your right knee and bring the heel of your right foot up behind you until you can grab your foot with your right hand. Now while holding on to your right foot with your right hand, carefully let go of what you're holding with your left hand and bend down and touch the toes on your left foot with your left hand. Can you do it? If you can touch your toes in this way, then you have very good flexibility and balance. According to some health experts: "The argument for maintaining good flexibility and balance is compelling. When you're more limber, you're less prone to injury." The same is true in the spiritual world, the more flexible and balanced you are spiritually, the less prone you will be to spiritual problems. Flexibility is the characteristic of being able to bend. Spiritual flexibility is the characteristic of being able to bend, to be open-minded, and teachable. King Solomon wrote: "A man who hardens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy (Proverbs 29:1)." In 2 Kings 17:14 the prophet writes: "However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God." And God said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people (Exodus 32:9)". And God says to Isaiah, "I know that you are obstinate . . . Come near to Me, listen (Isaiah 48:4, 16)." Those who are not spiritually flexible are described as being stiff necked and obstinate. The cure for this disease is to listen. The person who listens is spiritually flexible. He is open-minded and teachable. Jesus often challenged his listeners to listen with ears that can hear. We all have ears but do we really hear God when he is speaking to us. Or do we act like know-it-alls who have already made up our minds. Like those who say: "Don't bother me with the facts." The other characteristic that is necessary for good spiritual health is balance. God's word tells us: "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7, Amplified Bible)." This word "well-balanced" is the translation of the Greek word "sophronismos". Sophronismos means "self control"or "sound mind". So we can see the importance of being spiritually flexible and balanced. The alternative is to be stubborn and unbalanced. A person who is stubborn and unbalanced will not experience spiritual victory and will find constant conflict in their relationships with others in the church. May God help all of us to stretch and get limber. As the writer to the Hebrews says: "Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live in peace with all men (Hebrews 12:12-13)." Being Stretched, Pastor Steve
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