Cmon, ladies! Irish physical therapist Gerard Hartmann, who works with many of the worlds finest distance runners, says, Blueprint your feet, and youll find a marvel that engineers have been trying to match for centuries. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Proverbs 4:20-23 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Muscles, organs, and even bones deteriorate rapidly when subjected to excessive inactivity. DISCIPLINING YOUR BODY THROUGH PHYSICAL FITNESS GIVES YOU MORE SELF DISCIPLINE IN ALL OTHER AREAS OF LIFE (INCLUDING AGAINST SIN. God Wants His People to Be Clean and Pure We need to understand that the battle is not against flesh and blood but against powers in the heavenly places. Taking out the trash can feel difficult. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. YOUR BODY IS A TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Rather train yourself for godliness; Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. For some of us, getting our souls happy in Christ might mean we start our day with exercise in order to better focus on the truths of Gods word. 8 Bible Verses on Exercise {Add Worship to Your Workouts} - So Very Blessed I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. (!!!!!!). Be sober-minded; be watchful. B J No matter how well you have done up to this point, no matter how many years of inactivity, neglect, or even abuse have already gone by, for most of us its not too late to make a change. (101). ), But I discipline my body andkeep it under control, lest after preaching to othersI myself should bedisqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:27, This verse shows us that we must learn to discipline our bodies And that choosing discipline is a choice. You can circle the word "mature" and "God's will". What excites a Christian most? But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. I never could have been that strong or fast. For nothing will be impossible with God.. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. What if you were just the right person to go somewhere physically challengingall except for your physical inability to endure the hardships? Lets start believing our lives are just important. Remember, we are commanded not to take in things that will harm what is so precious to Him. But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. We use the strength of our arms to lift babies or children we care for, or to shovel snow for an elderly neighbor. Lesson 1: Nurturing Our Spiritual and Emotional Growth This post is all about reasons God wants you to be healthy! Abraham had 318 trained servants capable of war, plus other men, women and children who were servants ( Genesis 14:14 ). Most Christians don't want to hear that God wants us to take good care of our bodies through diet and exercise. Whos going to have a smaller waist size than their neighbor? In the moment we sit in front of the television, or in a stadium or theater seat, it sure seems like we could never be doing what theyre doing. Moving limbs increase our heartrate and circulate blood, moving hormones and nutrients through the body to where they need to be especially the brain for optimal physical, mental, and emotional health. The Lord wants us to cherish our earthly bodies. O Exercise is an acquired pleasure, writes Kelly McGonigal in The Joy of Movement. Whole foods! But actually getting to the exercise actually picking ourselves up to devote the time toward bodily training is made even more difficult when we know that, at best, physical exercise is only second best. Publisher: OpenBible.info. Whole foods! The answer isnt to forgo exercise altogether, but to focus on the purposes behind physical training. The Lord favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkindness (Ps. You can also message me on Instagram and Im happy to chat with you! And added to that, in our prosperity and decadence, food and (sugary) drinks are available to us like never before (with more than forty percent of US adults now considered obese). For daily workouts, nutrition help, and a supportive community, join the SR Wellness Group Coaching Program! According to Harvard professor John Ratey, humans are the Swiss Army knives of movement. He says, The research on this shows no favoritism, no sweet spot according to any one activity, no real specialization, and this result is counter to whats found with any other species. Movement alone will not create spiritual joy, but many Christians, myself included, have found that it can help as a precious emotional boost. For you were bought with a price. But why not love your family and your church by doing your best to be a healthy and active senior? So glorify God in your body (1 Corinthians 6:1920). True fitness means our bodily ability serves other purposes. So we should appreciate the beauty God has given us as His most complex and amazing creation. Dont you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? We were not made only to move but the danger today, for the vast majority of us, is the other extreme: that we are not moving enough, not as much as God designed us to move, for his glory, for our own joy, and for the good of others. Introduction As a pastor, some of the most common questions I've received have do to with divine guidance. . Your foots centerpiece is the arch, the greatest weight-bearing design ever created. How Does God Guide Us? - Mark D. Roberts Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags. T How can we celebrate the good we see without succumbing to flattery? Over time, as your legs and feet get stronger, and you build up a base, cultivate a more active mindset: Im ready to use this body to help others whether that means jumping at the opportunity to go up and down stairs, or take out the trash, or carry boxes, or wipe the counter, or pick up something off the floor. What others see is our bodies, moving, doing good works. And critical to God being glorified in our doing, in our bodies, is that our joy in him is made known in our faces and words and actions. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Whether youve found yourself tempted to eat more, sit on the couch more or both, know that God wants more for us. Copyright 2015 - 2023. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. The self-control required to deny yourself too much unhealthy food or the temptation to sleep in rather than working out can help you become more effective in resisting temptations to sin. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? Always [be] prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). V Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Are you wondering how to be a healthy Christian or if being healthy as a Christian is even important? He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Do you think of movement as an opportunity to be happy, make others happy, and make God look good? It is first, and far more, about what we do with them how we move, where we go with our feet and legs, what we do with our arms and hands to help others, and what we say with our mouths to accompany and give meaning to the movements and acts of our bodies. And if that didnt seem to help right away, he advised taking another. TopicalBible Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Granted, God doesn't want us to forge ahead in pride without consulting Him for direction. Wouldnt it be better to stay ready even if never needed, than to be needed but not ready? All other uses require written permission. We can see this simply by looking at what He created for us to eat. My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. David Mathis is executive editor for desiringGod.org and pastor at, Psalm 50:11: God says, I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine., Psalm 69:34: David says of God, Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them.. This verse makes it clear to us that the mind and body are so connected! A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. I could never move my body like that. Z. Any time I find this difficult, I just think about what Christ did for me on the cross. Y I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. Here are five reasons to pursue a regular exercise plan not related to looking your best in your bathing suit. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. Get moving. But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. He does! Made. What Does the Bible Say About Physical Health? - Beliefnet James 2:26). But as Christians, our motivation to steward our bodies well should run far deeper than wearing a smaller dress size. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. While I won't argue that it's sinful to eat junkfood, skip running and avoid vegetables, the Bible does tell us in 1 Corinthians 10:23, "'All things are lawful,' but not all things are helpful. She makes sure that he has bathed and that his clothes are neat and clean. Walk to get your heart rate up, and push the nutrients and hormones your brain needs across the blood-brain barrier. Are you ready?. There is a telling third verb in the sequence: In him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). God Doesn't Need Glory. Something to Reflect On What we believe determines what we do. Personally, I exercise as much for the emotional benefits as for the physical benefits. Paul himself eagerly expected and hoped that Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death (Philippians 1:20). He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. God made these bodies the most remarkable material objects in all of creation. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness (Psalm 84:10). The goal of fitness is not to look good in the mirror or on Instagram. 147:10-11). The question is: Fit for what? Is God just a psychological need for humans? - Quora So glorify God in your body. But my instructor shared a few words of wisdom. God created every whole food on the planet, and these are the most nutritious things we can put in our bodies! In our fast-paced society, it can be easy to feel like we dont have time to exercise. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit. Some people have disabling accidents or unavoidable medical conditions that limit the use or longevity of their body, but to recklessly damage or disable your body through neglect or abuse is not to act as a good steward. The stress that can result from difficult circumstances in our lives or the brokenness of the world around us can be consuming. We tend to overestimate what our bodies can do in the short run, and underestimate what they can do in the long run. For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. What Does the Bible Say About Church Attendance? Going back to Aristotle and to Hippocrates, the father of medicine, in the fourth and fifth centuries before Christ, humans have long observed that we are happier when were moving, or have moved. Our question becomes: (Go Wild, 26), The human body is unique among the bodies of our close relatives, our fellow mammals, in not having a sweet spot, in having muscles and a supporting skeletal system designed for a whole variety of movements. Im eager for you to hear these as opportunities afforded you by the wonder and marvel of the human body you have, rather than as obligations. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything. While animals tend to excel at one or two main abilities, God built humans for countless abilities, with capacities to adapt and specialize and excel in many ways. They are both in the same sentence. At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. Answer (1 of 4): Does eating fulfill a psychological need? all God sent us forth to do here on earth (see Hymn #292, O My Father). If God did not value health, why would He bother coming down to cleanse our bodies physiologically? Benefits of Exercise Exercise offers a mountain of benefits, from keeping our hearts pumping and muscles strong, to increasing our energy levels, to providing emotional highs that come from the release of endorphins. He moved around a lot, as did all able, working-class humans in the ancient world. I hope this post helped you understand why Godwants you to be healthy!! S In this post, Im going to answer two of the biggest questions I get as a Christian fitness coach: What does the Bible say about being healthy?and what does God say about the physical body?. And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? As Christians, we cannot take our bearings from our unusually sedentary society. 5 Reasons Why God Wants Us Healthy, Well and Fit - Faith and Health You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. God is not against material wealth per se. Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for foodand God will destroy both one and the other. As Christians, we often spend so much time focusing on our spiritual relationship with God that we forget the importance of our physical health, in our relationship with Him. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. Loving others by meeting needs often requires a bit of physical exertion. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Born to run? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. Or do you think of yourself as active, moving, working, often beckoned to stop or sit to address some particular task? Ready with minds and hearts and wills that would rather move than lounge, rather get up and go and have something to do than just sit there on a screen, rather move into the world and work to help people than calculate how we might move as little as humanly possible. The Proverbs 31 woman was no weak gal. Spiritual Warfare: Understanding the Battle We were born far more alike than we tend to think. God places some value on appearances; if He did not, we would all look the same. Listen to this verse from the Apostle Paul: Publication date: Jul 12, 2023. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. We honor our Creator when we care for the bodies entrusted to us through exercise and eating nutritious food. Does God Want You to be Rich? What does God want from me? Does God Need to be Worshipped? - Converge Media Rather, the human body, in its divine design, is capable of developing amazing abilities of all sorts over time. Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Exercise offers a mountain of benefits, from keeping our hearts pumping and muscles strong, to increasing our energy levels, to providing emotional highs that come from the release of endorphins. When traveling, a days journey would have been 2025 miles (essentially walking a marathon), and when not traveling, they would have easily walked 5 miles (10,000 steps) or more doing daily work as a builder or tentmaker, on their feet for large portions of the day. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. But what if an opportunity arose for you to serve in a more demanding setting? Our Western culture mainly focuses the benefits of exercise on our outward appearance, along with the perk of living free from sickness. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. Let your light shine is what images do. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. And when my body is not dragging me down, I find it less difficult to delight myself in the Lord. What Does It Take To Grow? | Bible.org Or thirty years. We were made to reflect and display him, to be monuments to Gods strength and beauty, but not stationary statues. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. ( Psalm 18:26) He knows that being clean benefits us. (More on that below!). Interested in hearing multiple perspectives on this. And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Find more free articles at www.BulletinInserts.org, a ministry of Christian Communicators Worldwide: www.CCWtoday.org. Answer The biblical doctrine of the sovereignty of God states that God is almighty over all. Unexpected spiritual conversations can happen when we keep our eyes and ears open to those around us. Just as physical pain tells us something is wrong with our bodies, so emotional pain may be God's way of telling us all is not well with our spiritual relationship with Him. One way to say it is you need the body required for Matthew 5:16: Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Invisible joy in God overflows into visible acts of love for the benefit of others (good works), accompanied by words that testify to the worth and value of God in Christ. And when we are clean, we bring honor to him. With all of the effort-saving devices available to us, most of us are not compelled to engage in the level of daily activity our bodies need. God has called us to renounce sin because of the serious health detriments they bring. Blog, A Answer Physical appearance is important to God in that it reveals the glory of His creative abilities.