If God were my Chiropractor

I remember when I was little, I was a lot shorter than most of my friends. Whenever I went to the doctor to be measured, I would stand as tall as I could possibly stand - I would stretch my back, hold my chin up high, and hope to add a few inches to my height just so I could brag the next day to my friends. Needless to say, it didn't really work. Anyway, we ought to have the same attitude spiritually. Simply, we should want to grow closer and closer to God - to stand up as tall as we can, just for Him. The questions we want to look at today - Are you striving and giving your best to God? Are you reading your Bible? Are you praying daily? Are you standing up tall spiritually, or are you slouching over? ... and ... If God were your Chiropractor, what would he have to say about your spiritual posture?



Verses 1-2 David opens up by asking the question "who can abide in God's tabernacle?" ... or more simply put, who are the people that deserve to dwell in His presence? David goes on to answer his own question - he says - the people who's works are righteous, who's words are true, aaannndd who stand upright.As Christians, we are called to a life in communion with the Father. The Bible tells us, apart from God, we can do no good. Later in the New Testament, James talks about how genuine faith moves us to action - how our love for Christ brings about a loving actions towards others. Is your faith moving you to action? Are you showing love to the world through the gospel message? Are you living a life that the Bible would classify as righteous? That's what David is talking about. If you want to dwell in God's presence and want to taste the joy and happiness that He has to offer, the Bible makes it clear that we are to adopt an upright lifestyle. I like how David puts it - he describes the Christian walk in terms of posture. Think of it this way. If God was your Chiropractor, would he say that you have good spiritual posture, or would he say that you slouch too much?


Verses 3-5 The picture above is taken from an instructional manual on how to properly operate a vacuum. Basically - apparently the only thing you shouldn't do while vacuuming is lean over. It's a very cool picture of sin. If our spiritual life was described by the picture above, David's instructions to you would be to never lean over for anything. If there is a shiny quarter on the ground, just leave it. If the backpack seems a little heavy - ask for help ... just don't bend over. Literally this is the case for verses 3-5. Things that will ruin your spiritual posture are as follows: backbiting, cheating, lying, fighting, caring to much about your reputation, make false promises. Obviously, the list of sins that you could possibly commit is much larger than that, but to live a righteous life, we have to steer clear from any of these things. Remember why we do it in the first place - to grow closer to God, to stand in his presence, to be called "good and faithful" servants. David says at the end, that if you steer clear from all of these things - you will never be moved. If you want to be a successful young Christian (or maybe you just want to start working on you spiritual posture), start here - read your Bible, pray, and steer clear from the things you know are wrong. The burden on your back may get heavy sometimes, but God promises to never give us something that we can't handle.

The Chiropractor: This week, think about your spiritual stature. If you find yourself to be slouching, I would encourage you to talk to one of the leaders. If your standing up straight but your growth has come to a stand-still, I would also encourage you to talk to one of the leaders about what's slowing you down. No matter where you're at, it's always a good idea, to read the word and to pray - that's a given right? Well then ... are you doin' it?


Have a good week!
-Chris