National Fitness Day // 1 Timothy 4:8

I love exercise. I try to do something every day to get my blood pumping, keep my anxiety at bay, and as often as possible, spend some time outside enjoying God’s creation. The verse we read for today encourages us to keep the whole idea of exercise in its proper perspective. The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy that there is value in exercise — it helps make us strong, builds stamina, and clears the mind — but that can only do us limited good. For example, strength loss can begin to materialize in a week’s worth of missed workouts, where muscle loss can begin after three weeks. In other words, there are only temporary gains with physical work, even considering how important it is. Paul then goes on to say that when we focus on growing to be more like Jesus, disciplining ourselves spiritually and striving for righteousness, the gains that we make better us today and are eternal in nature! Essentially, when we live for Jesus now, the promise of heaven helps us make earth a better place. So, if you are heading out at some point today to walk, hike, jog, run, lift weights, swim, or whatever you might do for fitness, make sure you spend some time working on your soul, too. Pray, listen to worship music, read Scripture, and/or find some other way to ensure you are following in the footsteps of Jesus.

Photo credit: Bible.com