On Wednesday night, I did a little review with the congregation and talked about physical fitness. Below are a few of my notes from the evening.
Would you like to have more energy to enjoy life? Would you like to look and feel younger? Would you like to have less aches and pains in your body? Most of us, if not all, would answer these questions with a resounding, “Yes!”
I don’t believe that we want to go through this life not feeling physically good or having the energy to enjoy our lives. And the Bible actually has a lot to say about the way we take care of ourselves.
Your Body the Temple
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. —1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)
Our bodies are not our own. We are called to care for our bodies so that we can use them to serve God and others.
A Definition of Physical Fitness
physical fitness — the ability to do tasks without undue fatigue; helps us look younger and feel better; helps us deal with stress and gives the energy to enjoy life to the fullest; involves the heart, lungs, and muscles of the body; influences our mental alertness and emotional stability
How do you become physically fit? It’s as simple as F-I-T.
- F — fundamentals
- I — intentionality
- T — training
Fundamentals
fundamental — a central or primary rule or principle of which something is based
In any area of life, there are fundamentals that we must practice, much like a basketball player has to be able to make a free throw. The fundamentals of physical fitness include the following:
- cardiorespiratory health
- muscular strength
- muscular endurance
- flexibility
- body composition
Just like our spiritual fitness, our physical fitness is dependent upon our paying attention to the basics.
Intentionality
intentional — done with intention or on purpose; intended
Physical fitness doesn’t happen on its own; we have to be intentional about it. When we aren’t, we run into problems and don’t see the results we’re looking for.
In order to be physically fit, we need to set a schedule to work on the fundamentals above. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be something as simple as going for a walk every morning. But it starts with choosing to be intentional about making it happen.
Training
training — the action of teaching a person or animal a particular skill or type of behavior, or the action of undertaking a course of exercise and diet in preparation for a sporting event
We put our intentionality to work by consistently training on the fundamentals. In this way, we become more physically fit.
My daughter Karinda and I were planning to run the Oklahoma City Marathon together, but something went wrong. She trained; I didn’t. She ran the marathon; I didn’t. Because I didn’t train.
If we want to be successful in our physical fitness, we have to be willing to put the work in and train ourselves.
Conclusion
Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. —1 Timothy 4:7-8 (NLT)
While spiritual health will always be the most important aspect of fitness, we must remember that the Bible teaches the importance of physical fitness, too. When we don’t take care of our bodies, we are disobeying God, and thus we are sinning. Our fitness is a part of our testimony, and we are called to be faithful in it.
I’d like to leave you with the words of John:
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. —3 John 1:2 (NIV)
Thanks for reading this roundup! I’ll be back with more soon.
To your fitness!