No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim
is to please the one who enlisted him.” (2 Timothy 2:3–4, ESV)
One of the things we as people seek is to be healthy. This was a huge focus in the military, to keep solders in good peak condition for fighting. Most would think that a military soldier primarily needs to be in good physical condition, but this is only part of the picture. For a soldier to do well, yes, he needs to be healthy physically, but he must also be healthy mentally and emotionally.
Often Paul referred to those in the ministry as soldiers. To Timothy he wrote the following.
“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” (2 Timothy 2:3–4, ESV)
As believers, we have all been enlisted into the ministry, and have been recruited into a spiritual conflict. Thus, like the good military soldier, we must also be in peak fighting condition.
To be in good fighting condition, the whole person needs to be healthy and this includes our physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual health. People are not just flesh and blood. The total person is more complex than this. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians regarding this.
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23, ESV)
Here we see the pattern for total wellness. It includes our physical bodies and our mental/emotional composition and our spiritual condition. These aspects of our being are inseparable and interrelated.
A prime example of this interrelation of the spiritual, emotional and physical wellness is seen in the life of David. In Psalm 32 we see the effects of sin, unconfessed sin, in his life. This Psalm likely looks back to his sin with Bathsheba. Look at what he stated.
“For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah” (Psalm 32:3–4, ESV)
When David kept silent about his sin, his life was miserable. He stated that his bones wasted away. He went on to write that the Lord’s hand was heavy upon him. David’s sin was a spiritual illness that resulted in both emotional and physical distress. What was his remedy? It was to care for the spiritual illness. Consider his words.
“I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah” (Psalm 32:5, ESV)
David’s medicine for this illness was confession. David’s confession was to agree with God regarding his sin and this resulted in the Lord’s healing, that is forgiveness.
Today, I am going to begin a new series of devotions on “Total Wellness. What every soldier needs to know.” You will be hearing more on this in the coming devotions.
Renewing the Heart 