Move it or lose it

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “A fresh start in a new year”

Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t continue drinking only water, but use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.” 1 Timothy 5:23 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Move it or lose it”

1 Timothy 5:23 has nothing to do with the debate about whether Christians should ever consume alcohol as a beverage. In terms of Christian history, that’s a relatively modern debate which has developed largely over the last several hundred years. For most of the history of Christianity wine was used as a beverage because it was one of the few liquids that was consistently safe to drink. Beverages like water and milk were frequently contaminated or spoiled but wine, because it was fermented, was usually safe and wouldn’t make you sick.

But that’s not the context of 1 Timothy 5:23 anyway. In Paul’s day wine was also medicinal. It was used as a medicine and that was why he was instructing Timothy to drink some – it was to settle his stomach. But the larger point, and the one that we need to consider today, is that it was something Timothy needed to be doing for the sake of his physical health. He had a responsibility to take care of himself so he could continue in ministry.

Us too. We have a responsibility to take care of ourselves. That obviously means we have to feed our body on good nutritious food rather than on junk. It also means we should take medicine when we are sick, and in our day of medical science (which is a gift from God), we are to go to the doctors when needed, get our regular screenings, and accept the procedures that will correct our medical problems.

Also, one of the easiest and most helpful things we can do to stay healthy is to simply stay active. You may remember from high school science class that Isaac Newton’s first Law of Motion states that a body at rest will remain at rest, unless an outside force acts on it to make it move. And a body in motion will stay in motion unless an outside force acts on it to make it stop. If we apply that thinking to physical fitness it means that you will stay there on the couch watching reality shows unless you force yourself to get up and get moving. But once you have developed the habit of being active, you will stay active because it becomes your new normal.

The old saying, “Move it or lose it” applies as well. If you move your body, it will stay healthier longer. But if you don’t stay active, your body will become fat and listless and you will probably die younger that you otherwise would have. Move it or lose it.

The point is that there are things we need to do to take care of ourselves and one of those things is to stay active. Put that body in motion and keep going! Move it or lose it!

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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