Monday, August 18, 2008
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Question of the Day: Balancing Exercise and Good Works
In the post where we asked for your suggested questions of the day, la_faerie_joyeuse left this comment:
I'd be curious as to the priority Christians place on taking care of their earthly body. Obviously, wrecking it would be an insult to God's creation, but keeping it in tip-top shape by constantly working out, spending boatloads of money on organic produce, etc., can actually take away from the time, money, and effort that you are able to pour into doing good works.
Do you put a lot of effort into exercising and eating well? Does this ever take away from time that could be spent doing more service-related things?
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Comments (14)
I try to be as healthy as I can without over doing anything. Eating healthy and excercise is easy enough, but doing it properly and not slacking off is a challenge. I don't eat healthy all the time to be honest, I don't really know anyone who does, but aside from that I do try to keep myself in decent shape.
For me, keeping up appearance does not get in the way of volunteer hours or anything like that. For some people it might though because they feel their health is a more important priority.
In summary, I don't spend hours of the day on excercise but my diet now is much better than it used to be.
1 Timothy 4:8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all
things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
Beth Moore teaches that physical fitness/self control is about freedom. We don't need to be in bondage to having a perfect body, but we also need to pursue a reasonable, achievable level of fitness that will give us the freedom to serve God effectively.
The bottom line is that the physical is important but temporary, while the spiritual is more important because it is eternal.
all things in moderation, i say. i exercise moderately, keep (or try) a balanced diet. i haven't always, but i'm getting better.
I am a runner. I not only enjoy running, I consider it to be a part of who I am. If I stay disciplined in my running, it helps me to be disciplined in other areas of my life as well. It's therapeutic for me and motivates me. I talk to God on my runs and usually end the run in a great mood.
For me, running helps me serve God more effectively. If I felt it was becoming more about sticking to my plan or getting into fantastic shape or whatever, I hope I would tone it down some. That 1 Timothy verse (4:8) fits perfectly for this question.
I find most athletic Christians I talk to enjoy time with God during their workouts and thank him for their accomplishments. Sometimes this is more visible in team sports but I know individual athletes who pray for health and for God's help keeping them fit. Also, working out with friends or playing on teams is a good time to do good works. As for buying organic/eating healthy - I also think this is doing good works, but instead of "organic", I buy locally. I help out my local economy, reduce the strain on the environment and show appreciation for the natural gifts God gives us.
I'm not sure skipping a work out or buying fast food would be a viable sacrifice for more time to do other "good works."
I think everything in life has to have its priorities. Good health should be an obligation as it truly is important in a Christian example. You must be of decent health in order to participate in a lot of Christian based activities, and you must be able to get out and move around in order to fellowship with others. NO, I do not think that you should ever allow any one certain thing interfere with what your number one priority as a Christian should be...our relationship with God and doing his will and works. It is his will though that we do take care of ourselves in the process. My body is nowhere near being model value and never will it be because the gym is not in my priorities. But I do watch what I eat and make sure not to fall into gluttony.
I basically agree with those who say in moderation. I mean, overdoing it can be vain, too, you know??
But, I AM really into all natural and organic foods for the health benefits. It's really not that much more expensive.
The conviction to exercise and eat healthier came to me a few years ago. Being overweight, single, and having a tendency to be attracted to gals who looked like they took care of themselves made me realize if that's the kind of woman I'm attracted to, I had to also expect that of myself as well. Years later I still go to the gym three days a week, play an occasional game of basketball, volleyball, or (my personal favorite) tennis on the weekends, and, if the weather is good and I have the time, will walk as opposed to drive. I often listen to praise, worship, and contemporary Christian music while I work out which turns my work out time also into a time of prayer and worship. It's also allowed me to help me to love myself as God loves me. The best benefit of all is that I've been dating a wonderful girl the past five weeks. Here's hoping it goes five more weeks and longer.
I think it's different strokes for different folks. Some people like to exercise, some don't. If you like to exercise then do it. If not then don't. If it's a major part of your life, OK, if not, OK too!
God loves people, not robots who always do what's right. Let us not become so entangled in what we're doing that we become someone, or something, that we're not. If our focus is on what we're doing, then we've lost sight of the fact that Jesus did it right and gave us His perfect performance so that we could be in relationship...not so that we could be God's servants.
He no longer calls us servants because we (have the opportunity to) know the Father's heart, to know His business inside and out.
I try to keep myself healthy because my biggest calling from God at this point in my life is to be a mother. And I'm not a very good mama when I'm sick or tired. Obviously my life doesn't revolve around a strict diet and compulsive exercise, but I try to make it a part of everyday for my family.
I think it's important for Christians to keep themselves healthy, so that we can be in a position to help people.
The healthier you are, the longer you'll live (all things being equal), and thus the more good you'll be able to do in your life. I fail to see it as an either/or.
I think it's better to be aimless - to have no goal. Accept things as they come to you. There is no "right" way.
@Pickwick12@xanga - I agree completely. Thanks for bringing that Beth Moore quote to the conversation....I think she nailed it.
I exercise and try to get healthy, so I'm freer to serve God. In fact, as an over-weight woman, I have been working very hard to lose the weight so I can move to Asia to become a missionary. But I must have the endurance to walk a lot and stay healthy if I'm going to the field full-time.
But I would never allow this to become something that distracts me from the eternal work He's called me too.
1) not so much...
2) not really...