The Most Important Habit for Spiritual Fitness

by Rick Warren — October 14, 2023
From 40 Days of Love

“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”

1 Timothy 4:8 (NLT)

We’ve been learning about how loving others the way God wants requires developing habits that keep you physically, emotionally, and spiritually renewed.

The Bible says real love “always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:7-8 NIV). You can’t love people that way without God’s help. And you can’t have that kind of power when you’re running on empty spiritually.

You need to watch for signs that you may be headed for spiritual burnout. When that starts to happen, you may feel like nothing is worth the effort; even loving someone else may seem like too much. Or you might start blaming God for your problems.

These signs aren’t unique to you. Even many of the Bible’s great heroes, like David, Moses, and Abraham, did the same things when they were in burnout stages.

How do you maintain spiritual fitness and avoid spiritual burnout? It’s similar to how you stay physically fit: You have to be intentional and disciplined.

When you develop that discipline, the Bible promises that your spiritual fitness will reap eternal benefits: “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8 NLT).

No discipline is more important in developing spiritual fitness than spending regular time with God. In fact, the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:16 that, even if outwardly your body suffers wear and tear, inwardly you can be spiritually renewed by spending time alone with God. This can take just 10 minutes in your living room chair before your day starts. During that time, you can let God talk to you through the Bible and you can talk to him through prayer.

You need that time alone with God, because the quality of your relationship with God determines the quality of every other relationship you have.

Human love will wear out. But God’s love never does! To love more like Jesus, make your quiet time the number one priority in your day. When you do, your relationships will be transformed by the power of God’s love through you.

Talk It Over

  • How does your calendar or daily routine reflect whether or not your quiet time is your priority?
  • In what ways have you seen your relationships affected by the amount of time you’ve spent praying and studying God’s Word?
  • Do you feel like you’ll ever be able to love others with the kind of love the Bible describes in 1 Corinthians 13? Why or why not?

Why wait any longer to trust Jesus?

If you haven’t trusted in Jesus and committed to following him, then why wait any longer? If you’re ready to make a decision to believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, then pray this prayer:

“Dear Jesus, you have promised that if I believe in you, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your eternal home in heaven one day. I confess my sin and ask for your forgiveness. I believe you are my Savior. I trust you when you say that salvation comes by grace, through faith, and not by anything I do. I want to start following you as Lord. I want to use the rest of my life to serve you instead of serving myself. I commit my life to you and ask you to save me and accept me into your family. In your name I pray. Amen.”

If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at [email protected] and let me know. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.


Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.