The Best Exercise - Martin Wiles

Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8 NLT

If having one would help me keep track of my health, then why not buy it? 

What initially attracted me wasn’t its sleek style or the many things it could do. It combined the functions of a watch and an alarm, and I’ve been a sucker for a watch since I was nine years old. But since my wife and I had been on a health kick, I had also been attracted to its benefits.

Fitbit is an American company known for making wireless products that track steps, heart rate, vigorous activity, sleep quality, calories, and other personal metrics. An added feature is that it syncs with my iPhone and alerts me when I have text messages, calendar notifications, and incoming calls. 

Until I was forty years of age, I could eat anything I wanted without consequence. Not so now. And as I get older, I realize I must take care of myself (and my wife) if I want to increase my chances of staying here a little longer. Because my wife has more health concerns than I do, I had no problem justifying spending the money for a Fitbit if it would help us. Eventually, however, my iPhone eliminated my need for the Fitbit. 

Paul commends physical exercise and good health. After all, God made our bodies and expects us to treat them with care. For believers, our bodies house his Spirit and are a temple. They are also living sacrifices. 

As good as physical exercise and proper eating are, spiritual exercise is better. Physical exercise is good for this life only; spiritual exercise is good for both this life and the next. In fact, without proper spiritual exercise, we won’t enjoy what the life to come offers. 

Spiritual exercise helps us enjoy the abundant life Jesus says we can have now. A life lived daily with confidence and assurance. Confidence that God loves us and has accepted us into his family. Assurance that nothing or no one can take us from his hand. A life lived without condemnation because Jesus has taken our sin. 

Spiritual exercise isn’t easy, but it’s always beneficial. We’ll never lose when we devour God’s Word, bathe in prayer, commune with other believers, love everyone unconditionally, serve others with kindness, forgive our enemies (and friends), and care for God’s world. 

Exercise physically, but don’t miss the benefits of the best exercise.

Father, give me the stamina to exercise spiritually every day. 

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When Matches Don’t Match - Martin Wiles

But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. Jonah 1:3 NLT

Even when the card he selected didn’t match, he kept trying until he got it right.

My oldest grandson loves one of the Bible apps we installed on his iPad. Each story has a game associated with it, but you must listen to the story before it will let you play the game. His favorite is the story of Noah. The screen fills with overturned cards, each containing an animal that was on the ark. Matching all the animals with their pair is the object of the game.

Levi’s reactions vary according to what kind of mood he’s in on any given day when he plays the game. He may utter an “Oh man,” and keep trying. Or after two failed attempts, he may say, “I don’t want to play this game anymore,” and select another one. He may lay the iPad aside and find something else to do. Occasionally, he gets angry.

Jonah’s reaction wasn’t much different. God told him to go to Nineveh and preach to the people. If they didn’t repent in short order, He planned to reign down judgment. Jonah wasn’t excited about the mission. God’s plan didn’t match his. He knew the Ninevites reputation. He’d love to see them destroyed—not saved. So he ran. God has good plans for His people, but sometimes His plans don’t match mine.

 

When God’s plans don’t match mine, I have several choices. I can rebel like Jonah. I can run, change jobs, change spouses, change colleges, or change my goals. I can also bargain with God. Jonah probably did—at least in his mind. Okay God, if I go and tell them to repent, will You promise to destroy them if they don’t? But God drives a hard bargain because He’s always right—and I often have difficulty admitting that. Or I can manipulate, take things into my own hands, and do it my way. That never works—even though God may give me enough rope to hang myself.

When God’s plans and mine don’t match, the best thing is submitting to His. His plans are for my good and His glory. Obeying them results in blessings I won’t receive otherwise. God’s plans originate out of love. Obeying them will take me to spiritual heights I’ve never experienced before.

Don’t insist on doing it your way when God’s plans don’t match yours. Do it His way.

Tweetable: What do you do when God's plan doesn't match yours?

Prayer: Father, give us faith to follow Your plan for our lives so we can experience Your best. 

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