Wednesday, May 31, 2017

1 Timothy 4:7 -- On Spiritual Fitness

"But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness."
1 Timothy 4:7


In this chapter, Paul is talking about fads and superstitions.  Not using those words of course, but talking about how different things distract us.  A new diet or a new trend seems pretty cool, and so we go with it, neglecting the instructions that God has already given in that area.  Or perhaps we're stuck in the past, believing that people can't change or that history is doomed to repeat itself.  To all of the things that we tell ourselves, Paul is asking Why are you listening to the world rather than God?

Paul compares spiritual exercise to physical exercise, as well as chasing the current fads, or the past fads, and tells us that we are going to get a lot more out of exercising our spiritual selves and learning to be more like God.  This, of course, isn't to say that physical exercise is evil, because it assuredly has its place.  Only, as we learn from the scriptures over and over again, that God needs to come first.

Today, let's work on our spiritual fitness.  Let's get in our prayers and our scripture reading.  Let's do the things that it takes to get ourselves on track, or to stay on track.  And if we have the basics down, then let's start building our spiritual muscles.  Let's keep in touch with God and strive to do good, allowing him to lead us in the right way, and building our goodness and growing "brighter and brighter until the perfect day" (D&C 50:24).

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