“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. When thinking on fitness intentions, ask yourself, will this building up the Kingdom in love? 11. “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Ephesians 4:15-16Īs we move with others, may our bodies and this verse be a reminder that we are connected as joints and are called to build up one another in love. Know that God has empowered you with the ability to make your body strong. We can “put on” strength as an adornment for our season and service, but let this verse be a reminder that it is something that can also be taken off, and we will still remain in the Lord. Our identity does not lie in how strong or weak we are physically. “She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.” Proverbs 31:17 Even when we get tired and weak, we can rejoice in knowing God is always our source of true strength! 9. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26Ĭonfession: I used to use this verse to keep myself from eating, but now as an intuitive eater I see this as a divine comfort. Let exercise be an offering of thanksgiving! 8. Let us take each breath with deep gratitude, and revere God through all of our actions. Glorifying God in your body means recognizing that being alive in your body is an immense gift. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. As you walk and run, meditate on this verse and let it be a source of hope for what is to come and what is already yours in Christ. He is the one who renews our strength, both in this life and the one to come. “…ut they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings like eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31Īs Christians, we do not depend on our strength by our own works of fitness, but we wait on the Lord. May active worship keep you fit and ready for the Kingdom. If He says “go,” we must be ready, just as an athlete trains speed and agility to be ready to turn on a dime. This verse refers to giving our whole selves to the Lord, including our bodies. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Romans 12:1 Let us be trained by the standards of love. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). We also can relate, and we know that the “rules” Jesus has given us are these: “A new command I give you: Love one another. Paul enjoys using athletic imagery to connect with his Greek and Roman audiences, who could relate to this kind of training. “An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” 2 Timothy 2:5 Read more in “Is Not Exercising a Sin?” May your exercise habits be meaningful and intentional. “So I do not run aimlessly I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:26-27ĭisciplining our body like Paul is talking about here is an effort to keep our whole selves restrained from sin for the prize of knowing Christ and Him crucified. May all your movements be in view of the Lord coming at any time! 3. The aim is not to reach our own body goals, but to do all by grace, with eager anticipation of Jesus coming again. The Bible does not focus only on our spiritual growth, but includes our bodies as integral to our self as loved and called by God. “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23 That is something you will discover as you go. Note that this verse does not have parameters about how to love God with all your strength. Loving God with all of our everything includes our bodies. “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30 May you read each of the following in a way that takes you out of the bonds of any one fitness ideal and brings you into the freedom of grace, for joy. We will start with a narrow view and handpick a few Scriptures we typically use with physical activity, then continue to zoom out and broaden our focus of how we think of fitness and how movement is described in the Bible.
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