Bodily Exercise May Profit Little, But it Still Profits

I Timothy 4:8 says, " For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." When reading that verse, it's very easy to disregard the need for bodily exercise. Some people would dismiss the notion that physical exercise is important for your body. That verse is not trying to demean bodily exercise. The point is that bodily exercise profits little in comparison to Godliness. Living a Godly life profits unto all things. The benefits of living a Godly life far exceed the profit that you reap from bodily exercise. That's the point this passage of scripture is trying to make. That passage isn't to be interpreted that bodily exercise isn't very important or irrelevant. Quite the contrary is true. I Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therfore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

From reading I Corinthians 6:19 and 20 the Apostle Paul emphasizes that are bodies are temples of the Holy Ghost. That's saying we should take care of our bodies. The scriptures above verse 19 are talking about fornication but regardless whether it's fornication or some other sin, our bodies are a temple of the Holy Ghost and we should take care of it. That verse in itself should tell us there's a need for bodily exercise. We just need to learn that exercise has its place and we shouldn't exalt exercise to a level that God doesn't put it. There are some people that go overboard when it comes to exercise such as some bodybuilders for example. However, I'm not suggesting that a person overexert themselves when they exercise, but our bodies do require a tough workout. It's part of a balanced, healthy lifestyle. There are a number of important things that a person needs in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They are proper nutrition, exercise, sleep, etc. These are important. Why is exercise so important? There are a number of reasons.

First of all, God created us and placed us here on this earth for a reason. First of all God wills for all man to be saved. For those that accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, God has a specific will to accomplish in their lives. In order to be able to accomplish God's will, we need to maintain our health. Therefore such key components as nutrition, exercise, and sleep are vital. If you neglect your health, you can limit your abilities when it comes to fulfilling God's will in your life. If you don't exercise, eat properly, take the right kind of vitamins to receive the nutrients you need, etc. then your energy level won't be what is needful for you to accomplish needed tasks in your daily life. One of the health problems many people experience today is a lack of energy. Some of that is due to aging as well as high levels of stress in our lives. I listened to a doctor on the radio named Dr. Michael Pinkus and he was mentioning that when you age, your adrenal glands don't secrete the hormones necessary to give you the necessary levels of energy. He said your body needs certain nutrients such as B2, B5, B6, B12, and a few other nutrients. He said when you are missing these nutrients, you have a tendency to feel worn out quite often. I don't know much about Dr. Pinkus but what little he mentions sounds plausible. When you age, it becomes very crucial to take care of your health. Our bodies wear down as we age and it's important to make sure we take the nutrients we need for our own health. When it comes to accomplishing the will of God in our lives, it's important that we possess and maintain high energy levels. We must make sure we exercise properly and take the right kind of nutrients to maintain our health.

Whenever you read the Bible you read about many wars that were fought in the Old Testament. I guarantee you the children of Israel had to engage in bodily exercise or training in order to be able to fight those wars. Before troops are sent into battle, they have to be sent to boot camp for physical training. Without proper exercise, there's no way the troops can be fit to fight battles. Exercise is an important function in life. There are some physical tasks that can't be performed unless we receive the proper physical training in our lives.

In writing all this, I'm by no means an authority on this subject. I'm not the epitome of great health. However, as I become older, I recognize the necessity of good nutrition and exercise. I do take vitamins on a daily basis. I also go walking out in the local park in the Spring and Summer. I fall short daily of what's necessary to maintain my health, but I do know the importance of exercise. There's no guarantee of longevity when it comes to bodily exercise, but a lack of nutrition and exercise will affect your energy levels. High energy levels are very crucial in living a very active lifestyle. That alone should convince Christians the necessity of exercise on a daily basis.

There are a few other reasons why exercise is important. I will briefly mention them. Some other reasons exercise is important are (1) it improves muscle tone, (2) it improves your circulation, (3) it improves your blood flow, (4) it also improves your heart, and (5) exercise is mentally therapeutic. There's been a number of times when I was out walking I was meditating on some things and my walking coupled with my meditation was a help to me. Former President George W. Bush used to jog on a regular basis when he was president and he stated jogging helped him in dealing with stress. There are other reasons why exercise can be profitable to you.

One thing that's important when it comes to reading the Word is to rightly divide it. Some Christians fail to do that properly. However, when reading about exercise, it's imperative that we don't dismiss it's importance because it profits little in comparison with Godliness. Exercise like anything else has its place in a Christian's life.