We Need Spiritual Exercise

PresbyCan Daily Devotional

1 Timothy 4:8 – 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. (NKJV)
On New Year's Eve 2023, 48 per cent of the people who made a resolution said they resolved to improve fitness. These people resolved to be more fit by exercising, walking, and spending more time being active.
In contrast, however, in today's Scripture, we read that being godly is better than being physically fit. God doesn't say that we should not exercise physically. He only emphasizes that we need to remove the spotlight on the physical and concentrate on the spiritual. Godliness — spiritual exercise — not only gives us a better life now, but it also helps us to be prepared for eternity. Working out and exercising takes dedication, strength, and determination, and so does spiritual exercise.
Some people spend up to eight hours a week working out. Just as people spend different amounts of time doing different types of exercise, so we, too, should spend time on different spiritual exercises. One of these exercises is knee bends. We must be willing to kneel and bow down before God our Maker in worship. We must humble ourselves before the Lord, asking for forgiveness and His mercy. When we kneel before God, we can stand against anything.
Another exercise that is beneficial is walking. We must be willing to walk in a manner that is worthy of the Lord. We must walk in the light, on the straight path, keeping our eyes on the Lord. We must walk in faith, trust, love, and obedience to the Father. Jesus told us that He is the Way, so we must walk where He leads us. Also, when we walk, we must wear a pair of good shoes. We read in Ephesians 6:15, "Wear shoes on your feet which are the Good News of peace." (NLV) Therefore, we must read the Word of God and allow it to become the lamp unto our feet and the light to our path.
Prayer: Father, help us to exercise daily so we can become spiritually fit. Help us to spend time with You in Your Word and to bend our knees in humility and worship. Help us to walk in Your way and to exercise spiritually every day, so that we can live each day in hope and strength, and walk with You until You take us to live with You forever. Amen.