Sickness has taken up a good deal of my time the last two weeks. Thankfully, I haven’t been sick. My little girl and my wife have been though. They have had a very nasty bug which has lasted several days. Their symptoms have included fever, headache, vomiting, upset stomach, loss of appetite, and other things. When someone is sick, the symptoms make this fact very obvious.

Notice the discussion in Luke 5:30-32, “The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?’ And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.'” Jesus was not talking about those who are physically sick, but spiritually. Just like with physical sickness, there are symptoms of spiritual sickness. Here are a few symptoms of spiritual sickness:

– Sin.

– Apathy towards God and spiritual aspects.

– Lack of hunger and thirst (for righteousness).

– Increased materialism.

– Filthy speech (words and subjects).

– Lowering moral standards.

– Not praying.

– Not Bible reading.

– Not coming to worship.

When these are consistently present in our lives, they could serve as symptoms of spiritual sickness. Let’s never become like the people in Isaiah who were “weighed down with iniquity” and had “abandoned the Lord” (Is 1:4-6). Physical sickness is dangerous, but spiritual sickness is infinitely more serious. If we do not take care of the physical sickness symptoms they could lead to death. If we do not take care of our spiritual sickness, it will lead to spiritual death (Romans 1:32; 6:16, 21-23).

John said in 3 John 2, “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” I also hope that our physical and spiritual health prospers. Let’s make sure we address the spiritual sickness symptoms in our lives so they do not become eternal life threatening. There is no better life than a healthy, thriving relationship with the Lord.

–Brett Petrillo