Workouts // Philippians 2:12

It’s National Exercise Day! Saturday is typically a rest day for me, but I still strive to do something every day, even if it’s just stretching or getting in a few steps. National Exercise Day is a time to call attention to the importance of moving for health and fitness, of which there are four main components: cardiovascular, weight bearing, flexibility, and rest…yes, rest is important, too, since that is when muscles grow. When I think about moving my body on this National Exercise Day, Philippians 2:12 comes to mind as well for my soul as the Apostle Paul wrote that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. That might sound like an altogether different kind of workout, and it is to a degree, but the original Greek gives us a unique clue that might surprise you. The idea of working out our salvation is a continuous process of striving for Christ. This is where we read Paul also say things like press on to the goal and straining against our flesh for the Lord’s righteousness. Then, Paul’s use of the word from whence we get our English, trembling, is the fatigued result of an effective workout. Think about how weak and shaky your muscles can feel after doing a full set of heavy lifting. That woozy fatigued feeling is the sentiment Paul used in writing about working out our salvation with fear and trembling. But please hear me, this isn’t about terror, but trust in the Lord, the same Who gave His life so you might live. So, on this National Exercise Day, make sure you get in some reps for your soul. Press on for Jesus. Leave behind your old worn-out way of living so you can grow strong in the Spirit. That, my friends, is the kind of exercise that prepares you for eternity!