FIT

Good morning beloved. God’s grace is sufficient. God’s love is unconditional. His grace and mercy are new every day. “Don’t just drag out of bed every morning. Get alive and awaken your mind and body for the gift of a brand new day gift wrapped with sunlight and air. Not just another ordinary day, it is the day of new opportunities.”~ Phoebe Kites

Last summer I began to pay more attention to becoming fit, healthier and trying to eat right. We always seem to equate being fit as something that only pertains to exercise and health. Being fit is defined by what type of activity you do, how long you do it, and at what level of intensity you are working. Important measures of fitness include cardiorespiratory endurance plus muscular strength and flexibility. You need to check out your body composition and your muscular endurance.

What does it mean to be fit? For many of us, being fit means maintaining a healthy weight with diet and exercise. However, the “healthy weight = fit” idea omits and misrepresents several important components of what being truly fit means. In biological terms, “being fit” means “being able to provide for one’s own life and well-being; the fittest are those who can do so the best.”

When you think of being “fit,” what does that mean to you? Is it a number on the scale, blood pressure score, jeans size, a body free of disease, or something else? Being fit ultimately refers to your own optimal health and overall well-being. Fitness pertains to all aspects of your life – physical, emotional and mental. But I feel that it should include spiritually also. After all, mind, body and soul all go together.

Spiritual health brings satisfaction and happiness, just as physical health does. But you can’t get healthy spiritually by joining a health club, lifting weights, using the treadmill, taking a spin class or running a marathon. Spiritual health requires spiritual exercises. In a letter to his young assistant Timothy, the Apostle Paul wrote: “Exercise yourself toward godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7). The Apostle compared physical fitness with spiritual fitness. “Take time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit. Bodily fitness has a certain value, but spiritual fitness is essential, both for this present life and for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). To be physically fit requires proper nutrition. The same is true spiritually. The proper nutrition for us as believers is the Word of God.

For spiritual growth, nothing can take the place of prayer–simply spending time with God, thanking him for his gifts to you, praising him, asking for guidance, admitting your sins and asking for, forgiveness and help. A part of being fit is taking care of myself mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The key is in combining the elimination of destructive behaviors and the development of positive behaviors. This is exactly the key to becoming spiritually fit. These words are not a prescription for redemption. We know we are not saved by struggles and/or good works. Instead, this is instruction on how to live in the new life Christ has given us. This is a prescription, if you will, for victorious, abundant living.

It is impossible to become physically fit by merely reading a book about exercise or listening to excellent advice from a fitness expert; rather, it is imperative that we apply the knowledge gained and actually DO the necessary work of dieting and exercising. Similarly, we cannot become spiritually fit by simply reading the Bible or sitting under excellent preaching of the Word; rather, we must earnestly apply what we are learning to our lives and DO what Scripture calls us to do.

Whether young or old, physical fitness has a place in our lives as Christians. Taking care of our bodies, temples of the Holy Spirit. Making good use of our bodily members as instruments of righteousness. Improving the quality and length of service we can offer the Lord in this life. But physical fitness without godly exercise is vanity. The outer man will eventually fail us. The inner man is the true measure of character and spirituality. What does being “fit” mean to you? FIT-Faith, Integrity, Trust!!!!

“Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.” Colossians 3:5-11

Live life, give people hope. Share your heart wisdom and resources. Never place a period where God says there should be a comma.

As always peace and blessings, be safe. Remember God loves you and so do I. ©krw 2.18.16