In addition to our spirit and mind, our body also plays its role our Christian life. Because we worship in spirit and truth (soul and mind), it may not be clear at first how our physical actions are important. Out physical position when praying or even raised hands and joyful dance during worship put us in the proper attitude, but it goes far beyond that. Love and kindness toward others is a requirement for a child of God. Kindness is love in action and almost always requires physical action on our part.
There is one big difference between physical and spiritual or mental development. The closer we get to God over the years the stronger our spirit and mind usually become. Age and wear and tear take a toll on our physical strength. My knees no longer allow me to kneel in prayer as I once did. My limited mobility makes it impossible for me to physically do kind acts for others. That does not hamper my Christian service as I near 80 years of age, but it does change my emphasis. Without kneeling I have to humble myself mentally and spiritually when I approach God in prayer. I raise my voice in song as I worship. Instead of providing physical or financial help I provide encouragement and prayers. That certainly doesn’t lessen my affect on those around me. It is important that we take good care of ourselves so we can take care of others, but God will always give us a way to serve them. As I approach 80 years of age in March, Lord willing, I have found the importance of encouraging words and prayers for the needs of others. Those should be things we do even before offering a helping hand.
Part of Christian service is taking good care of ourselves so that we can take care of others for as long as possible. God blesses us so that we can bless others. I’m sure I have mentioned this before, but years after his retirement from baseball Mickey Mantle said, “If I knew I would live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.” Some things can’t be prevented like injury or illness, but our general health can be maintained for quite a while until age takes its final toll on us.
Serve physically while you can, but never underestimate encouraging words and prayer.