1 Timothy 4:7-8 (ESV Strong's)
Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
Subject: Training (Exercise)
Google how much people spend on fitness and you will be blown away by the number. Some 40-50 billion, yes, billion, dollars is spent each year on our obsession with fitness. In my own personal life that number is a ridiculous amount. Most of our fitness woes are centered around correction other bad habits that lead to improper fitness and health. We indulge one side of our life so that we can discipline the other. The word in the above passage, "train," is the Greek word Gumnazo. It is the Greek word that gave birth to our English word, gymnastics or gymnasium. It literally means to train naked. The key to understanding the passage to remember that in ancient world the training of athletes was a sophisticated as we are today. Their training was self-discipline at its best. What Paul is saying is that there is a training that brings "some" profit to us ... but it is only temporary because it affects only the body ... and, the body will soon perish. However, committing the same focus of disciplined training to our spiritual walk, is quite beneficial. Paul is not telling us to leave our physical well-being alone and to neglect it. Paul is telling us that our focus ought to be eternal. We ought to put our thoughts and hopes on the afterlife. We ought to train ourselves "by faith" for Godliness.
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