Verse of the Day 3/4

Verse of the Day 3/4

1 Timothy 4:7-8  Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; ⁸ 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.   English Standard Version (ESV)

My wife and I attended a Young Life dinner last night.  It was a nice evening with some laughs and some personal testimonies of changed lives, all for a great cause.  As we were driving home I noticed how many cars there were at a local gym at 9 pm on a Thursday night.  I thought that it was a little odd but that was the end of it.

This morning in my devotions I read today's verses and the events of the night before came to mind.  I have to agree with Paul, "bodily training is of some value", we should take care of our bodies and exercise is good for us, it does have some  value. But so do investing some time and efforts to the teens in our lives and so does spiritual exercises of reading and studying God's Word and praying.

"Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please!"  - that's how The Message puts it.  What good is it to be physically fit for this world while being spiritually "flabby".  What we do and who we are spiritually will serve us well not only for this life but for the afterlife, for eternity.  The thought is not lost on Paul, John MacArthur writes "train is an athletic term denoting rigorous, self sacrificing exercise an athlete undergoes.  Spiritual self -discipline is the path to godly living,"

I need to work on the physical shape that I am in but not at the expense of my "spiritual" shape.  The Message encourages us to throw ourselves "into this venture so totally. We're banking on the living God, Savior of all men and women, especially believers."  It means throwing ourselves into our spiritual "workouts" and also throwing ourselves into the lives of others, including organizations like Young Life.  "Take it to heart" - The Message.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

1 Timothy 4:7-10The Message (MSG)

^6-10 You've been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you'll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart. This is why we've thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We're banking on the living God, Savior of all men and women, especially believers.