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“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8
The King James Version puts it this way, “For bodily exercise profiteth little.”
I have always loved to use this verse to explain away poor eating choices and/or laziness…”I know I should get up and get moving but, well, the King James Version Bible says ‘bodily exercise profits little’.”
Deeper reflection on the verse shows it’s GOOD to train physically, to exercise. AND it’s even more beneficial for us to train spiritually. With all the goals of this New Year let’s make sure we prioritize our goals correctly.
It’s that time of year once again when advertisements for exercise equipment and diet pills are dominating social media and television. We all want a fresh start.
Okay, maybe not ALL. There is a small contingent of people who are able to refrain from all the goodies and overeating that happens during the Christmas season. But I’m not one of them.
I confess I went on quite the vacation from healthy food and exercise over break, unless you count all the walking I did while shopping for my loved ones. I had several exhausting shopping trips. But I ate and ate and ate. AND I knew there would be a day of reckoning. January 1st.
Yesterday I jumped back into my regular routine and began to feel the affects of detoxing my body from all that sugar and junk. My sister Stephanie also decided to buckle down. Around 4PM I checked in with her to see how she was faring. We seemed to be in the same boat.
I told her, “I’m not hangry (angry because I’m hungry). I’m just angry. Like, I guess my body is going through chemical changes and the result leaves me extremely irritable! How long do I have to endure this before things settle down?” Mind you, we were laughing about all of this and we somewhat expected the adverse affects. I would assume coming off of two weeks of junk will do that to you. I just wondered if we should be making video diary entries for the entertainment of others.
On a positive note, my 16 year old, Abby has asked to join me in making better lifestyle choices in this new year. She’s cutting junk food and adding exercise and water. It’s nice to do this together – setting small obtainable goals we can encourage each other toward achieving.
And here I am, one successful day down! So far I’m on track! (Celebrating the little wins in life!)
When it comes to fitness, there are a 1,000 different ways to go about eating healthier and exercising. There are a 1,000 different supplements and plans. Something that may work for you, may not work for the next person. I’ve learned it’s important to personalize your fitness goals. I could tell you some things that have really worked for me but honestly they may not work for everyone. The older I get, the more I realize the importance of a balanced diet. I’m not so much worried about how I look these days but more about how I feel. And I’m learning, some foods are just not worth eating. What it comes down to is this – you have to think about healthy living if you intend to live healthy. It doesn’t happen by accident.
You have to think about healthy living
if you intend to live healthy.
It doesn’t happen by accident.
The same goes for spiritual growth. Have you thought much about how you can grow spiritually this year? Along with daily Bible reading I want to propose an area we can all go deeper. This is my big push for 2017. You ready for it?
PRAYER
Communing with God.
Not just talking at Him but communing with Him.
I gotta be honest, I used list off my prayer requests in rapid fire to God as if He were a heavenly genie that should grant my requests. Over the past several years I have learned that God does want to hear my supplications but He also wants me to grow in many other areas of prayer. He has much to show me.
John Piper writes,
Communion with God is the end for which we were created. The Bible says that we were created for the glory of God (Isaiah 43:7). Yet glorifying God is not something we do after communing with him, but by communing with him. Many human deeds magnify the glory of God’s goodness, but only if they flow from our contentment in communion with him.
If this is true, only rambling off little prayers here and there while I go throughout my day would not be considered spending quality time in prayer.
How much time do you spend daily in prayer, communing with God?
To be spiritually healthy, one must grow in prayer. It’s not optional.
Now, I want to clarify here, prayer is not to take the place of Bible reading. Bible reading is equally important. However, I believe it’s easier for us, when we set our mind to it, to faithfully read from God’s Word each day than it is to pray. I did it for years and neglected prayer.
Why? Because it involves going deeper with the invisible God. It takes time. It requires discipline. It requires waiting. It requires learning and trusting the nature of God.
I’ve heard someone say, “I don’t pray much because God doesn’t answer when I do. He doesn’t give me what I ask. Seems like He’s not listening.”
I know many people only pray when they want something from God.
As we spend time in God’s Word, learning who He is, we then commune with Him in prayer and receive the full benefits of hearing from Him and seeing Him at work in our lives. We grow stronger in our faith. Prayer is essential to spiritual health.
Prayer is essential to spiritual health.
I’m going to give a poor example here but an example non-the-less about how we use prayer. When we only use prayer because we need something from God, it’s like using your treadmill to hang clothes and saying it hasn’t been effective in keeping us healthy. Sure it keeps your clothes off the ground but your missing the full scope of what it can do in your life.
I received a wonderful gift this Christmas from a friend. It’s a prayer journal that breaks your prayers down and helps to organize your thoughts so that when you pray, you have a road map or guideline to help you. I’ve already begun to use it and I’m feeling more equipped to spend longer amounts of time in prayer.
Yesterday, my husband Mark also received a gift from a friend. It’s a mug that says, “Pray BIG”. How cool is that? He loves it and said it’s now his favorite mug.
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My emphasis as I step into 2017 is to go deeper in prayer. I want to take active steps to challenge myself to “Pray BIG” and I’m challenging you to do the same.
We pray prayers of
- Intercession
- Thanksgiving
- Praise
- Confession
- Adoration
- Supplication
We pray for
- Our families
- Our nation
- Our church
- Our coworkers
- Our friends
- Our personal needs
…Just to name a few.
And still there is so much more to uncover in the area of prayer. There is so much to develop in the discipline of prayer. But, mainly, prayer draws us into the presence of God. I want to leave you with some thoughts from Oswald Chambers on the matter of prayer today:
Prayer is not a normal part of the life of the natural man. We hear it said that a person’s life will suffer if he doesn’t pray, but I question that. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a person is born again from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve or nourish that life. Prayer is the way that the life of God in us is nourished. Our common ideas regarding prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer simply as a means of getting things for ourselves, but the biblical purpose of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.
What goals have you set for 2017? Remember, physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better. I want to spend more time this year reading God’s word and I’m making it a priority to grow in prayer.
Pray Big! That’s what I’m gonna do. How about you?
Linda - Amen, me too. pray BIG.