Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Healthy Living”
Our Bible verse for today: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Physical fitness needs to be part of a healthy and balanced life.”
Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time in gyms. It’s not uncommon in a gym culture to see people who exalt the physical body and almost worship it. But as Paul expresses in 1Timothy 4:8, ultimately the physical training of the body is only of limited value. It’s training in godliness that really matters.
However please note that Paul did not say, and did not mean to imply, that physical training is of “no” value. His intent was simply to keep it in its proper place. If you’ve read all the Biblical letters written by Paul then you know that he was fond of sports metaphors and he evidently admired athletes.
Too many Christians neglect exercise. Some even attempt to use 1 Timothy 4:8 as their justification for doing so, but clearly that would be a corruption of Paul’s meaning. It also would not be consistent with what the rest of the Bible teaches. Moses took care of himself to the point that at 120 his eyesight was still good and he was still very healthy. (Deuteronomy 34:7). At eighty-five Caleb was still strong, vigorous and feisty! (Joshua 14:11)
Like food, exercise is better than medicine. Moderate exercise on a daily basis does wonders for our health. Our bodies are designed by God to be active. Many of the health problems people experience today are a result of sedentary lifestyles. All of the research shows that the more we physically move our body, the better it is for our overall health. Even something as simple as a brisk walk 30 minutes a day produces substantial health benefits.
The Daniel Plan website (www.danielplan.com) offers many helpful tips to help you discover simple and fun ways to make exercise a part of your daily routine. I encourage you to check it out.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 