Jonathan Watson We are only human, and as such we need renewal and strengthening several times a day. Many of us were raised to believe we were to eat three square meals a day, but today we are taught to make sure we have healthy snacks in between meals and that ultimately six smaller meals per day may be a healthier choice. This is almost without mentioning the fact that we need to drink half of our weight in ounces of water per day to stay hydrated properly (about eight glasses). If we need all of these healthy nutritious meals and clean drinking water each day to keep our bodies at optimum performance how are we getting by spiritually on a morning devotional?
David understood that God not only provided physical strength but strength for the soul. Today we describe the outer operations of the soul in terms of our mind, will and emotions, but David most likely was referring the heart of who we are in relationship to God which is our spiritual connection. When God breathed life into man and woman they became living beings. The breath of God in the human body brought forth the human spirit. The Spirit combined with the human body produced the soul. It may be important to understand their differences in certain circumstances, but we should always keep in mind the soul and spirit are interconnected.
2 Corinthians 4:16 states, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” The human body is truly remarkable in its ability to heal and sustain a high quality of life. We do not always treat our bodies with the respect they deserve, especially when we are young, but as we age we come to realize how fragile the body really is as aches, pains and procedures begin to interfere with the quality of life. Our encouragement should come from the good news that our inner man (our spirit) is being renewed day by day. The human spirit has its creation in the breath of God and therefore owes its daily renewal to the fact that it is always in some way receiving strength from God. Even those who have no respect for God and think of Him only as a crutch need to understand what life they have flows from their connection to their Creator.
Proverbs 4:23 states, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” Solomon most likely learned this proverb from his father King David. David understood there is only One who can restore the soul. Even though the inner core of every human is renewed daily by the power of God, we need the springs of life to be released throughout the day every day of the week. Those who call on God in faith have had the springs of life erupt into joy unspeakable and full of glory. We need to draw daily from the well that never will run dry.
The apostle John wrote, “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” (3 John 1:2) We may want to ask the question at this point, “How does the soul prosper?” The soul being connected to the human spirit receives it prosperity from God. Our mind needs renewal (Romans12:1-2), our will needs to be submitted to the will of God, and emotionally we are to follow the Spirit bearing such fruit as patience, kindness, and gentleness. John seemed to be suggesting that we should expect to prosper in all areas of life including our health by staying connected to our source of all power. We need to keep ourselves in close proximity to God at all times. If we need eight glasses of water per day for the human body, then we definitely need to draw from God’s “river of life” at least that many times per day. May we continually follow the direction of Ephesians 4:23-24 which states, “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
Pastor Jonathan