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17th November: Keeping Fit

Take time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit. Bodily fitness has a certain value, but spiritual fitness is essential, both for this present life and for the life to come. 1 Tim 4:8 (JBP)

Young Timothy had `frequent ailments' (1 Tim 5:23), Paul, who obviously had a great affection for him, did not hesitate to advise him about all aspects of his welfare in a fatherly fashion: to let no one despise his youth while yet treating his elders in the church with respect; to keep good order in the church; to take his share of suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ; to keep himself physically fit; more importantly to keep himself spiritually fit. It was kindly but demanding counsel.

Paul's priorities for Timothy would seem to be sound general rules for Christians. He does not downgrade physical fitness (the words of the King James Version, `bodily exercise profiteth little', are ambiguous and can easily be taken in a misleading way), and elsewhere he stresses the care of the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). On a number of occasions also he uses the figure of the athlete to urge fitness. While here his mind is primarily on spiritual fitness, he clearly recognises that physical toughness is needed in order to cope with the sort of things he himself had to cope with. We would be very unwise, while fully recognising Paul's priorities, to let ourselves neglect doing what we can to keep our bodies fit. Spiritual fitness still has first priority (3 Jn 2).

Grant me, Lord, the grace and the self-discipline
to keep myself both spiritually and physically fit.

Further reading: 1 Tim 4:6-10, 6:11-12. 1 Cor 6:12-20.

RRW