“And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void to offence toward God, and toward men.”
Acts 24:16
We owe ourselves the personal responsibility to carefully, regularly and rigorously exercise our bodies, soul and spirit so that we could take delivery of the benefits therein. If we want to keep fit physically, mentally and spiritually, then exercise is a must. But the tragedy is that many of us have not been able to place value on personal exercise as we should. While the world has taken bodily exercise to the level of hedonism, many believers are far behind in bodily exercise. Some have even despised it completely. What a shame!
We must accept responsibility to engage in:
- Physical Exercise!
It pays to exercise physically! The profits or benefits cannot be overemphasised! Apostle Paul writing to his protege, Timothy eminently and profoundly stated, “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.”
1 Timothy 4:8
Yes, there is profit in bodily exercise, but we should not abuse it. As far as Apostle Paul was concerned bodily exercise should not be our major concern. He did not rubbish the idea of physical exercise, but he wanted us to pay more attention to godliness, which is profitable unto all things. These days we can see that many believers are physically fit but mentally and spiritually unfit. Balance is a key factor here! - Mental Exercise!
“… bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.”
2 Timothy 4:13
How do we exercise our minds? How do we become mentally sharp and smart? It is by reading widely!
Apostle Paul was a lawyer who loved reading books. No wonder, he was mentally fit and robust. It takes a reader to be a writer. Do you know that more than half of the new testament books of the Bible were written by him? Daniel in the old testament gained understanding through books. The Bible says, “In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books…”
Daniel 9:2
There are some things you will not understand until you read widely. Be a reader today. Your reading culture must be established beyond measure! Don’t tell me: “But I’m not into academia. Why must I bother myself about reading when I have other things to do.” You don’t have to be in an academic world to mentally improve yourself! - Spiritual Exercise!
“… and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.”
1 Timothy 4:7
We must exercise ourselves unto godliness. And we do this by becoming more like Christ in character and conduct. Spiritual Exercise is all about imitating Christ in everything we do. It is about living a life filled with love and spirituality. It is by engaging in prayers and Fastings regularly and consistently. You can also exercise yourself in Bible study and evangelism!
I decree and declare that you will embrace personal exercise in Jesus’ mighty name!
Yours sincerely,
Joe Jesimiel Ogbe
Ydiradio.com