Making A Quality Decision

me after a late night run.

I love fried chicken . . .

Last week I weighed in at a modest 164 pounds! (I've been 150 or so for the last 7 years so this is pretty intense). When I first saw the scale I laughed a little, but my laughter quickly shifted as I came to the reality that I was gaining weight because I had no discipline. A couple of weeks ago in the Every Nation School of Ministry my class and I were discussing the Bible and how it applied to practical living. We stumbled across 1 Timothy 4:8. It says:

"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promises for both the present life and the life to come."

We focused on the portion that I usually skip over. It says that physical training is of some value. I know I have often used this verse to convince myself that since Godliness is better (as the text says), then physical training isn't of much importance. I got the revelation that I was using the Bible to say what I wanted it to say instead of reading what it actually says. Basically I was giving myself an excuse to not exercise, eat right, etc. I'll admit I got soft becasue I got comfortable and undisciplined.

Anyway, this week I've lost several pounds and have decided to make a quality decision to exercise everyday (in some form, for some amount of time). I'm the first to say I have tried to make these kinds of decisions in the past and failed at seeing them through. However, there is something about God's word that motivates me to try again. I can use the word to encourage me to a life of discipline.

I need to honor my body. Plain and simple. For me it comes down to disciplining myself (something I can be very bad at), and making a quality decision to honor God in every way I can. I know Godliness is always the most important thing, but I can't use that as an excuse to not be excellent in the physical areas of my life. Especially when the Bible tells me there is value in physical training! I think more than anything it's not about weight or looking better, but it's about discipline. I know I need more of that!