Words of wisdom

From my friend, Nancy, for my Body After Baby Challenge friends:

...there is a spiritual aspect to exercise, as well! For starters, we are God's workmanship. Psalms 139:14," I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Thy works, and that my soul knoweth quite well". Romans 12:1, " I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship". My point here, is to stress that our bodies do count. Our body belongs to God. Our bodies matter. God doesn't demand our bodies because he, as John Piper quotes "wants models for Mademoiselle or Planet Muscle. He demands our bodies because he wants models of service" . Exercise makes us more effective in serving the Lord! Charles Spurgeon said, “A mouthful of sea air, or a stiff walk in the wind’s face would not give grace to the soul, but it would yield oxygen to the body, which is next best” ! 1 Cor. 6:19,20, " Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." These verses refer directly to those who are following Christ as their Lord. The better care Christians take of their body, the more able they are to carry out active Christian service, which is their primary purpose here. 1 Cor. 10:31 best sums it up, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." ! These truths should dramatically affect our approach to exercise! We don’t ultimately exercise for the purpose of losing weight or so that we look good. We exercise ultimately for the glory of God. We lace up our running shoes and pound the pavement so that we can serve God effectively for years to come. We lift weights so that at age 65 we can share the gospel with our grandchildren. We go to the gym so that we can lovingly care for our spouse for many years. Now do not go out and make a list of exercise rules and regulations that you now must follow! Change doesn't happen that way. Change is often synonymous with "process". The point is, to start!