American country music legend Willie Nelson says he’s done with smoking–both tobacco and marijuana. At 90, he’s decided to think more about his health. Of course, he’s been using karate to stay in shape for years.
Reaching his 90s at all is remarkable—particularly for a partying musician who has spent years on the road—eating rich, fatty, sugary, restaurant food, smoking too much, and sleeping on a tour bus.
But I wonder what God thinks about Willie’s fitness regimen?
And more importantly, what does God think about the millions of Americans who will go on diets this year, join gyms for a New Year’s Resolution, take up jogging, lift weights, go paleo or vegan, or maybe even commit to a Daniel Fast or the Daniel diet?
How do you think the Lord feels about these attempts to live healthier?
As Christians, we are commanded to be good stewards of our bodies (“for you are NOT your own” 1 Corinthians 6:19). God owns you, and you must take care of the body He loaned you so you can live a long and effective life, and spend more years pointing people to Jesus.
But what about the Willie Nelsons of the world? What does God have to say about our efforts at dieting and fitness?
I think He honors those efforts, at least the sensible ones, and that’s why they get good results.
“Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness, for bodily discipline is of little profit, but GODLINESS is a means of great gain, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” 1 Timothy 4:8.
In other words, exercise and eating right are valuable, but nowhere near as valuable as godliness.
Consider the context. In the preceding verses 3-7, Paul speaks of men who forbid the eating of certain foods, and women who promote “worldly fables” about bodily disciplines—
But . . . discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness, for bodily discipline is of little profit, but GODLINESS is a means of great gain, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
Paul tells the young pastor to ignore those who encourage bodily disciplines, and to focus more on spiritual disciplines. Why? Because spiritual discipline will benefit you both with spiritual fitness on earth and with eternal rewards in heaven.
How much time do Americans spend on workouts? Millions of hours a year. How much money do they spend on diets? Billions of dollars a year.
Imagine if even half that energy was directed to spiritual disciplines like Bible reading and prayer? What would happen to this nation? For one thing, the health of many Americans would improve and they would probably lose weight. (Do you see why that is? If you are struggling with self-control and eating, for example, the spiritual discipline of learning God’s word may help you more than the bodily discipline of yo-yo dieting.)
More importantly, if the Americans who spend so much time and money on bodily disciplines would direct some of their energy toward spiritual disciplines, God would transform every area of their lives. He promises, “My word shall not return void,” (Isaiah 55:11) meaning EVERY time you study the Bible, He will bless you and the word will accomplish something in you.
Every. Single. Time.
So discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. If you spend ten minutes a day thinking about health and eating right and exercising, can you spend five minutes reading the Bible? If you spend twenty minutes a day working out, can you spend ten or twenty minutes reading the Bible? Of course you can. But will you?
God says don’t spend all your time on bodily discipline when spiritual discipline will pay off in ways that are so much more rewarding.
Dear God, teach us to eat right and exercise. Make us good stewards of our bodies in this modern world that would starve us with nutrient-deprived fast food and processed food, then fatten us on sugar-filled foods and syrupy soft drinks and marbleized steaks and fatty ground beef. And help us to be active in a world of jobs that require us to sit for ten hours a day.
But more importantly, remind us to work on spiritual disciplines, because godliness is a means of great gain. Help us to make Bible reading and prayer a part of every day. Show us verses to memorize. Teach us how to share our faith.
Give us a deep hunger for spiritual food—the meat of the word—rather than physical food. Amen.
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Household Words: 