by Dennis and Barbara Rainey

1 Timothy 4:7,8
On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things.

The fat-farm advertisements finally reached me one Christmas season. After seeing all the television ads showing how to shed those holiday pounds, and after looking in a mirror one morning, guilt got me. So with my bag of sweats and jogging shoes in tow, I dutifully followed those pied pipers of unwanted pounds to the local health club to shed some cellulite (that sounds better than "fat," which just lacks dignity).

There I stood in the doorway of this workout room, looking at all these slim and trim, toned and tuned hard bodies. My greatest fear was that they would all look up at me simultaneously and fall to the floor, laughing hysterically.

After enduring the humiliation of walking to the dressing room and getting into my sweatsuit (I wish I had arrived already dressed), I couldn't help but notice the mirrors. They were everywhere. I felt like I was in some sort of narcissistic cathedral. People throughout the room were staring at their bodies. For my part, I carefully ignored the mirrors-I already knew what I looked like.

Then the Scripture above from 1 Timothy hit me. As I began to perspire while working on my "perishing" muscles, I thought about my spiritual muscles and the truth of that Scripture.

Here I was, moving from machine to machine, an out-of-shape, plump glob of midlife molecules, surrounded by the "saints of Muscledonia." But I couldn't help pondering Paul's admonition to train ourselves in godliness, and asking whether as a people we are equally concerned about our spiritual conditioning.

That isn't just "of little profit." It's of eternal importance.

Prayer:

As a couple, set aside a 24-hour period to pray and fast together. Consider using this time to pray together about a problem you're facing as a couple or in your family.

Discuss: Do you have regular times of jogging or other physical workout? Do you have regular times of spiritual discipline-prayer, Bible study, ministry to others? How can you give more importance to these disciplines?

Would you like your own copy of this devotional?