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Exercise Yourself unto Godliness Most of us do not like exercise. In fact most of us hate it. Five to six mornings a week I get up to exercise. For about a hour and a half I do some low impact aerobics and then ride a stationary bike for 30 minutes. The very best thing about exercise is that it ends and you get to stop. By the time I finish my "workout" I am sweaty. Hope or Noah was saying that girls do not sweat, they glisten. Well, I am glistening all over the place. One of the fun aspects of this is I used to threaten the girls with a hug or my towel. I must admit that every now and then I actually enjoyed working out. Getting your body moving and pushing it to the limit can be fun in its own strange way. But what I really enjoyed is getting to stop and rest. After it is over with you get a shower and have the satisfaction that you are through until tomorrow. There is also the satisfaction of knowing that you can still do those exercises. There was a time when I could not do some of those exercises or ride the bike like I do now. Over time I have built up some endurance and muscle tone. This is good. Another benefit is more of my clothes now fit me. I remember one Sunday, Regena asked if we need to do some clothes shopping. Everything I had was small and just not looking good on me. Now they fit and still don't look so good on me, but at least they fit. Then there is the benefit of not being asked why I am out of breath all the time. I remember sitting at the desk and answering the phone. The person on the other end would want to know why I was out of breath. That was kind of discouraging. There are probably other benefits of exercising, such as improved blood pressure, better heart rate, etc. But let's not get too carried away with this point. One thing about exercise that makes it inconvenient is its individual nature. Nobody can exercise for me or you. Regena cannot ride the exercise bike for me; Hope or Noah cannot do the low impact aerobics for me either. That sweat glistening must be mine if I am to get in shape. The Bible talks about exercise in a spiritual sense. In writing to Timothy, Paul says, "But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself rather to godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come" (1 Timothy 4.7-8). Bodily exercise has some benefits but spiritual exercise is greater. Notice the direction we are to be exercising is toward godliness. That word godliness is used a lot of times in the Bible. It means to have reverence, respect, to be aimed toward God. We are to be seeking to please God and live according to His word, which promotes godliness, 1 Timothy 6.3. Each day we are to be using our time to please God, to grow toward Him. Like physical exercise, this is not always easy and may require a lot of self control. Paul mentions this in 1 Corinthians 9. “And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. This I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." Spiritual exercise requires self control, determination, and consistency. Working out just one day a week will not get a person in good physical condition. You must do so on a regular basis. The same goes for spiritual growth. Reading one's Bible one day a week, going to services one time a week, praying to God every now and then, will not cause spiritual growth. The greatness and importance of spiritual exercise is its reward. As 1 Timothy 6.10 says, "But godliness with contentment is great gain." We gain with spiritual strength, being able to withstand the wiles of the devil, Ephesians 6.10. We gain patience, faith, love, and a host of other Christian characteristics. The end result of a life dedicated to exercising itself toward godliness is an eternity with God. I am painfully aware that no matter how much I exercise there is a limit to how much "in shape" I can become. Eventually the toils of life and time will take its toll on the body and we lose our physical abilities. But with godliness it is not so. We can remain spiritually strong as long as we have the ability to think and meditate upon God and His word. -- Dennis Tucker
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