This week, we’re featuring a series of blog articles that all relate to the New Year — new beginnings, fresh starts. Today’s article was originally published on Jan. 21, 2015.

“Dieting” is the key word today, along with “better nutrition,” “watch the fats,” “lowering our cholesterol,” and “exercise.” This is very good advice for healthier living. And we need to keep this in check. But I would like to talk about a different diet, one that is also necessary for a healthy and long life.

This is our spiritual diet, or S-diet.

What are we doing for our heart to stay spiritually healthy? Is it filled with compassion and joy? Our mind, is it sharp and ready with scripture to defend His church? Our tongue, is it prepared to testify of the goodness of God? Our hands, are they ready to help another? Our eyes, do they look where they can be of help? Our feet, are they swift to visit the sick?

What grade would you give your S-diet?

Let’s take a self-test:

• Do we read the scriptures every day?
• Do we pray daily?
• Do we praise God in all things, good or bad?
• Have we called, visited, or sent a card to someone this week?
• Are we quick to help?
• Quick to give of our substance to another?

I’m sure that you passed the test, but we can always improve our S-diet. The more we read and study the scriptures, the more we become familiar with the Lord, the better our S-diet will become. The personal relationship that we build with Jesus is rewarding in that we know Him better, what He thinks, how He felt when He was praying in the garden, and His compassion on the cross to give us life. He is and will always be our best friend.

So let’s join the gym of Jesus and start our S-diet today and become the fittest saints of our generation.

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.