“Bodily Exercise Profiteth Little”
I hope that is only a play on words, Bro. Paul! I hope that was a relative statement, Mr. Apostle; because if not, this “bodily exercise” I am doing is making me question my investment. What do you mean by “little?”
Brother Paul, did you not say in your first letter to Timothy, “…bodily exercise profiteth little…?” I believe you did. You went on to say that godliness was better because it “[was] profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” – 1 Timothy 4:8 But what I really want to know is what exactly do you mean by “little?” Are you saying it is not worth doing?
What I’m Doing Hurts
It is the first day of summer, and I am in pain all over my body. My feet hurt. My back hurts. My legs hurt. The follicles in my scalp where hair should be even hurt. Because I have taken upon myself the responsibility to beat my body into shape, the exercise that it has endured has resulted in blaring protests from my muscles.
Just the other day, in order to prove I am serious about losing weight and getting into better shape, I reluctantly agreed to play with my kids on the Wii. Not that this was anything new, but the game they chose was something I had never done before in real life, much less on a game console. They MADE me twirl hula hoops!
After a few minutes of embarrassing hip gyrations which were unscrupulously caught on a camera phone, I feel like I have a hernia. There is no glamor in explaining that the reason for you pain is a hula hoop injury. I’ve heard of tennis elbow, but never hula gut. Is it worth it? Surely there’s some profit.
What I’m Doing Costs Money
When one decides to invest his time and money into something, he usually expects some kind of return. When this person invests in a Total Gym, a new bicycle, nasty food, and hours that could have been spent sitting comfortably in front of a TV watching NCIS, he hopes the profit is more than just a “little.”
I’m Hoping to Live Longer, Too
Isn’t life valuable, Paul? Without all of this heart-strengthening, calorie-burning “little” stuff, I would probably end up looking like Jabba the Hut and die before the Braves win another World Series. Are you saying that a few more years with my family and the ministry are insignificant? Just like Bill Murray said in the movie Scrooged, “I wanna live! I wanna live!”
I Know, I Know…
I get it, Brother Paul. What you are saying is that compared to godliness, compared to keeping our spirit in shape, keeping the body in shape with exercise is not as important. But what you are NOT saying is that exercise is unimportant. Right?
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? – 1 Corinthians 6:19
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. – Romans 12:1
Because my body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, it is therefore a tool dedicated for God’s use. It is not my own. It belongs to the Lord. It is my responsibility to take care of it, or risk it being out of commission when it is needed to carry His Word to those who are lost.
Exercise has its place, even a spiritual place, when we consider that staying in shape can contribute to the work of the Lord. But the real point is that this body will one day fall apart, break down, and die. The life-span of this body is very finite; but eternity is forever. There is not much profit to be had in investments that eventually return to dust; however, there is great rewards to be had when we are obedient.
The next time I’m tempted to complain about how hard it is to work out, or how embarrasing it is to get hurt while doing the twist with a virtual hoop, somebody remind me that compared to a mountain, an elephant is little. Why? Because bodily exercise may profit me little compared to some things, but a little can still be a lot.
The Recovering Legalist 