A brother in Christ and friend on Face Book recently posted this quote from Charles Spurgeon, “When asked, ‘What is more important: praying or reading the Bible?’ I ask, ‘What is more important: breathing in or breathing out?’” That quote reminds me that just as our bodies require certain things to keep us alive and healthy; our spirits require certain things to keep them alive and healthy too. One of those things is not more important than the others; they work together to keep us alive and healthy physically and spiritually.
My doctor reminds me of the importance of proper breathing techniques to get the oxygen I need and get rid of the carbon dioxide I don’t need. He also stresses the importance of ingesting the nutrients needed by my vital organs; the importance of exercise for my joints, muscles, heart and lungs; and the importance of getting enough rest. None of those things is more important than the others. Without any one of them my physical health and my life itself would be in danger.
Bible study and prayer are just two of the important necessities of my Christian life. The analogy with breathing in and out is on target because reading the Bible is one of the things we need to take into our spirit and prayer is one of the things that come out in the form of words or actions. I am reminded again of the computer term GIGO (garbage in, garbage out). In order to produce the fruit of the spirit in our words and actions, we must take in the spiritual nutrients that are needed. In addition to reading and studying God’s word, we need to be careful of other sources of information we take into our minds and hearts. You don’t have to be on social media more than a few minutes to realize there is a lot of garbage to avoid taking into our spirit. If we concentrate on those things what will be produced in our words and actions won’t be the fruit of God’s Holy Spirit, but just more of the world’s garbage. On the other hand, I have Christian friends on social media, like the one who posted the Spurgeon quote, who encourage me and keep me accountable. There are two tests for everything I take into my Christian life: it must be in agreement with God’s word and it must have the seal of approval from the Holy Spirit within me. If we only accept as true the things we read or hear that pass those two tests, we can be sure that our words and actions will be pleasing to our Father in heaven.
Comparing the importance of people and our actions is futile. Just as everything I do that nourishes my physical and spiritual life is equally important, every Christian is equally important for the health of the universal church – the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12) The Christian custodian who cleans and sanitizes the sanctuary between services; the Christian volunteer who provides needed help to the community; each musician and singer in the worship team; even the parking attendant, greeter and usher are each just as important as the one who preaches and shepherds the congregation. Whatever your talent or calling, you are an equally important part of sharing God’s love, mercy and grace here on Earth.