spiritual fitness

Physical fitness attracts everyones eye but what about spiritual fitness? I bet you have never thought about it that way before.

I came across one of my favorite verses this morning, and I will never forget the first time I read it. 

"Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives tales; rather, train yourselves to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance." 

(1 Timothy 4:7-10)

I believe I was a sophomore in college at the time, fighting back from the knee surgery I had. I was putting every part of me into rehab and getting back to playing as soon as possible. No matter how many hours I put it, or how hard I worked, I still had pain. 

It was probably the toughest year for me, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

I came across that verse and my entire mindset began to change. I was putting every part of me into my physical fitness and nothing into my spiritual fitness. 

What stuck out to me from that verse was that godliness trains and prepares you for the present life and the life to come. The life to come...That is what got my attention. The life to come is eternal life, which is forever. My competitive basketball playing days are over already and I am 23. I was putting every part of me into something that wasn't going to last me my entire life. 

Let that challenge you. What part of yourself are you putting into things that aren't godly and won't prepare you for the rest of your life and the life to come? 

In our society, much emphasis is placed on physical fitness, but spiritual health is even more important. Our physical health is susceptible to disease and injury, but faith can sustain us through any tragedy. To train ourselves to be godly, we must develop our faith by using our God-given abilities. 

We commit way too much ourselves to certain things that don't need every part of us. I encourage you to start committing yourself to godliness. That's one of the most valuable commitments we have the ability to make. When else you do you have the opportunity to commit to something that is going to be of great value in your life right now and your life to come?