Fitness as an act of worship, can it really be? I say yes.

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing and perfect will of God. Romans 12: 1

I recently read this exchange, in the book Mad Church Disease, when a pastor was asked: “How has developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle contributed positively to your ministry? The answer: “…I did not do it for my ministry. I did it as an act of worship toward Jesus and as a sign of commitment to my family. If I take care of my relationship with Jesus and my relationship with my family, God will honor my ministry.”

Dr. Ken Cooper, considered the founder of the modern aerobic exercise movement, said this:

“I start my day with prayer and Bible study. My prayer list includes all my patients. I have a very busy day. I’m 76 years of age still working 60 hours a week. Before I go home at night I’ll go workout at our fantastic fitness center. By the time I go home of an evening, I have done a good day’s work. I’ve been both spiritually blessed of a morning and physically blessed in the afternoon.”

He also made this statement:

“If we are not both spiritually and physically fit then we are not fit.”

We are challenged throughout the Bible that we need to consider our body as the temple of the Holy Spirit and treat it accordingly. The most important act of being filled with the Holy Spirit is in making a decision to follow Christ and have that personal relationship with Him. Being a follower of Christ means that we surrender to Him, that is an act of worship. But does surrender mean everything? As follower of Christ we are asked that question and our answer is a strong, loud, YES. And if the answer is yes, then that means everything including our physical body.

I am determined to live a healthy life as long as I can and in so doing be a follower of Christ, called to minister, for as long as I can.

Followers of Christ for as Long as We Can

Setting A Fitness Plan for the Week

Fitness Love It and Hate It