What a summer it has been! As I write this, the last few events of the
Paralympic Games are taking place, and that, following the Olympics and the
Diamond Jubilee celebrations, have made it a golden few months in all sorts of
ways. Suddenly being British seems to be
popular again. Even the sun is shining
at the moment!
After weeks of watching the medals
stack up at the Olympic Park, lots of people are wondering how they are going
to get back to normal. The politicians
and sports officials who brought the Games to the country are hoping that they
will have a long term effect which lasts well past this summer. All along they have hoped that it will
encourage us to be more athletic and to get involved in sport of some
sort. With obesity such a problem to the
health of the nation, and the finances of the NHS, anything that encourages
people to exercise more will be grasped at with both hands. However young or old we are, regular exercise
is important for a healthy body and mind.
Over July and August we saw how the
Apostle Paul drew on the athletics event of his day to illustrate truths about
the Christian living. We read about
‘running a race’ and ‘winning a crown’, and were reminded about how we need to
dedicate ourselves to Christian living, with a single-mindedness like that
which we have seen in the sporting heroes of this summer. The Apostle also speaks about ‘exercise’ in
one of his letters. In 1 Timothy 4:7,8
we read this;
“
… exercise yourself toward 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.”
Physical
exercise is good for us. Even if we are
old, and all we can manage is to walk around the living room once or twice a
day, it gets the blood circulating and keeps the muscles active. Younger people jog, swim, walk, cycle, lift
weights and do all manner of other things in the hope that the day they ‘get
old’ will be delayed as a result. But
the Bible reminds us that physical exercise only has limited benefit. At best, it may only delay the day of our
departure from this world, and it has no effect in eternity.
Instead,
Paul points to a more worthwhile type of exercise. We should aim to be godly! That, he confidently asserts, has benefits in
this life and in the life to come. We
are created in God’s image and for fellowship with him. That must mean that the more ‘godly’ we are
the more we are reaching our human potential.
Godliness – being like God in our attitudes, actions, thoughts and deeds
– is, of course, as alien to us as physical exercise to a ‘couch potato’, but
without it we cannot enjoy God or true life.
And whereas the benefits of physical exercise stop at death, the godly
man or woman has the promise of life eternal where God will be enjoyed
forever.
What
sort of exercise have you done today?
Physically and spiritually?
