1 Timothy

December 12

1 Timothy

Because of the sedentary lifestyle of so many people in our country, fitness has become an important part of the lives of many. As evidence comes from medical research on the importance of physical exercise, people decide they must exercise in order to prolong life and quality of life. In 2012, over $45 billion was spent on the fitness industry. The driving factors of this industry are disposable income, money that can be spent on non-essentials, and leisure time. The average American has around 5.2 hours per day of leisure time. More and more people are using a portion of that time for physical training.

Paul wrote to Timothy; "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:8, NIV)  Physical training is important. We are supposed to take care of the bodies we have. In the past, physical labor helped keep us physically fit, but the changes in the structure of many jobs has caused us to become physically unfit. Our physical fitness affects the way we feel, the way we think, our energy levels and so much more.

But even more important than our physical fitness is our spiritual fitness. Physical fitness helps us live life to the fullest, but spiritual fitness prepares us for the present and eternal life. Just as we need to exercise our bodies in order to maintain physical fitness, we need to train ourselves through bible reading, prayer, worship, and fellowship with other believers in order to maintain or grow spiritually. Spending some of our leisure time each day preparing our bodies is important, but it is even more important to spend some of that time preparing ourselves spiritually so we can grow in godliness.