Discipleship Considered 5 (Cont.)

Discipleship Considered

Exercise Right

We continue our study by speaking of the exercise of the body. Beyond the matter of diet is the matter of physical perseverance. Discipleship is not a short sprint - it is more like a marathon. Each day you have to say - I am ready to face anything the Lord puts in front of me. This is where the discipline of the body come in. Paul had to face physical deprivation and weakness on many occasions. But he was always ready and so should we be. He wrote:

"Do you know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things," following it with, "Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" (1 Cor. 9:24-27).

The image of the athlete is repeatedly used in the New Testament. In the twelfth of Hebrews the competitor is running in a stadium with a great company of other athletes watching.

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." (Heb.12:1)

It is an endurance race that will be won by the competitor who has followed a training schedule that brought his physique to top condition.

While these various pictures drawn from the games, are used to illustrate and emphasize spiritual truths, it seems to me that they might also have an application in respect of the need to maintain the body in good condition. I repeat, bodily exercise is profitable - maybe not as much as godliness, but it is profitable. I would repeat my word of caution. No-one should embark on a course of exercise that would cause physical distress. If there is any doubt, let us not be afraid to take medical advice; this is especially important for those with physical limitations.

Next time: 'Rest Right'.