Spiritual Fitness

For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. 1 Timothy 4:8

When I read this verse, I laughed. Everyone knows I detest exercise. I know I should do it, but it's not my friend. This verse, along with Proverbs 28:1 reminds me that only wicked people exercise. "The wicked flee when no man pursueth..." Since no one is chasing me, why should I run?

Now, I use these verses completely out of context to justify my lack of exercise. BTW, a doctor wouldn't find it as funny as I do.

However, in all seriousness, if we focus solely on our physical health and growth, then we are missing the mark. While it is important, it is not as important as our spiritual health. Remember what God told Samuel when he was searching for God's anointed? He said to look on the heart, as God does, and not on man's outward appearance. Here, God told Samuel that the spiritual health is more important than stature and physical attributes. 

As we age, we will lose our physical strength and muscle mass. This is inevitable. However, our spiritual exercise will make us stronger and remain with us throughout our lives as long as we continue with it. When we aren't as strong physically as we once were, we will still be a valuable soldier in God's army.

Just think of someone preparing to compete in the Olympics. They remain pure in what they allow to enter into their bodies, they exercise and stretch their bodies to the limits, focus on their mental acumen, and rest accordingly. They are preparing their bodies for a battle of sorts and self-indulgence has no place in this preparation process.

So why shouldn't we, as Christians, make this type of preparation in our spiritual lives? We need to remain pure in what we allow the world to spoon feed us through our entertainment choices, our genres of music, and our social circles. We should exercise our minds and hearts through reading God's Word, praying, and learning from honorable teachers of the Word. We are also reminded in the Creation story that God rested as an example for mankind to follow. We cannot continue with the calling on our lives if we don't stop and rest to renew our spiritual minds through time alone with God.

Godliness is profitable unto all things - by focusing on increasing our spiritual strength, we will have a better mindset of worship and obedience to God. This will in turn enable us to grow in other areas of our life such as relationships, finances, and influence.

So, take an inventory of your spiritual fitness and see what areas need improving. Then, maybe go for a walk.

C