Diet and Exercise

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.
-1 Timothy 4:7b-8

  Forgive me if I am taking this verse out of context, but I do believe that the implications of this verse can be very relevant to those preparing for the mission field - or anyone dedicated to the service of Christ. Jesse and I have recently decided to start eating healthier and exercising more. Mostly, it is because we wanted to be better stewards of our money (more on that later), but also because we wanted to take care of our bodies so that we can physically be better equipped to serve God now and in the future.

I have had a poor history with diets, because I was never all that motivated to stick with them. Now that I'm preparing for a wedding, it's much more important to me to look and feel my best and get my body into a healthy state. But what good is all of this diet and exercise that I've just promised myself that I would do? "Bodily training is of some value," as it says above. The changes I am making will get me back on track with how God wants me to maintain my body, but if I am to live healthier and live longer - I have that much longer to serve Christ. How, then, shall I live? All of this "training" is good for me, physically, but without any spiritual training, it is pointless.

With this thought, I am brought to the conviction that whenever I am tempted to cheat on my diet or give up on my exercise, I should go back to God's Word and get back into the mindset that it is all for Him. Yes, I am doing this so that I will be healthier, but I want to be healthier because He wants me to take care of myself, and so that He can use me better and longer than if I were living an unhealthy lifestyle.

The main point of this verse, though, is that discipline in the spiritual realm is more important than discipline in the physical. When we focus on Christ and dedicate our time and efforts to Him, those actions count toward eternity. That is why Jesse and I want to be missionaries and dedicate our lives to Christ daily. That is what we want to invest in - something that lasts.