Become functionally younger

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Live long and live well”

Our Bible verse for today: “Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:30-31 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Become functionally younger”

There’s a difference between your biological age and your functional age. Your biological or chronological age is simply a matter of the number of years old you are. Your functional age depends on the physical condition of your body. Remember Caleb from Joshua 14:11? Chronologically he was eighty-five but functionally he was much younger. I know people in their forties who have the body of a sixty-year-old, and I also know people who have bodies that are functionally much younger than their actual years would suggest. Caleb was one of those.

To a large degree, it is physical fitness that makes the difference. In his great book, “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity”, Dr. Peter Attia and his team of researchers came to this conclusion: “This is where we see the true power of exercise – its ability to transform people, to make them functionally younger. It’s quite incredible.”

Your functional age is a result of how well you have taken care of yourself. Exercise and good nutrition are critical factors which help to determine how healthy your body is. And here’s the thing: even if you have not taken good care of yourself up to this point, you can start now and it will have a transformative effect on your body. Your functional age will begin to go backwards, and you will soon start to become younger than your years.

Isaiah 40:30-31 carries both spiritual and physical meaning. Spiritually, the lesson is that we draw strength and stamina from the Lord which enables us to face our challenges in life – to lean into them and to keep going. This is spiritual, mental, and emotional renewal which then gives us the physical strength to go on.

However, the verse also clues us into the truth that it is possible for older folks to be functionally younger than their years. While youths are fainting and becoming weary, older folks often find a second wind and can push on while others are sitting it out. This is especially true for older folks who treat their body like the temple of the Holy Spirit that it is. As a matter of good stewardship and of taking good care of the temple of the Spirit, these folks eat right, exercise, get enough sleep, properly manage stress, and they do it all as a matter of spiritual discipline so their body is available long-term to be used by Jesus for His kingdom-building purposes.

You can soar through your days as if on wings of eagles – spiritually and physically. But it does take some discipline and effort – both spiritual and physical discipline.

By-the-way, have you invested well for your retirement years? I do mean financially, yes. But how about physically? We will think about that tomorrow. For today, I encourage you to get some exercise. It will help to make you functionally younger than your years.

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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