Why Spiritual Exercises Are More Important Than Physical Ones

While sweating and working out at the gym yesterday, I was reminded of 1 Timothy 4:8, which states, "Physical training is good, but training in godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the next (NLT). It's easy to focus on running, pilates, or lifting weights to shape our physical bodies, but we often forget that God cares most about our inner selves. Paul doesn't imply that physical training is wrong; rather, he emphasizes that spiritual training is greater.

Why?

Because, as Dallas Willard points out, "What does God get at the end of your life? You." God receives you. You can't take your investments, cars, houses, possessions, or even family into heaven—you only take yourself. And that's what God desires—a you that not only reflects His character but also knows Him.

Think of the term, godliness, as virtues, righteousness, or the Fruit of the Spirit. Followers of Christ are commanded to train in these. It's like going to the gym, but instead of using barbells and treadmills, we're using spiritual disciplines like prayer, Scripture reading, serving, simplicity, and worship (and there are many more!). It often takes effort to find God, but He wants us to seek Him. You could say we train in finding God. And, guess what? He wants to be found!

Are you feeling disconnected from God and His Spirit? Have you been focusing more on your outer appearance than your inner self? I use a simple method — I set my phone to a timer for five or ten minutes whenever I realize I've lost focus. I read the Bible for five minutes, then spend five minutes praying. Keep it simple and be gentle with yourself. Achieving a small, manageable goal is better than missing a larger one.

After a few days, try to gradually increase to five or ten minutes, then to fifteen or twenty minutes. Consistency in spending time with God matters more than the duration. Over time, it will naturally increase. I believe that spending at least forty minutes daily with God — including Bible reading, prayer, and reflection — is ideal.

How will we expect to change the world if we aren't changed from the inside? How do we expect to hear God's voice if we're not making time to listen? It takes spiritual training to do that. One of my goals is to spend as least as much time exercising as engaging with the Holy Spirit. Should it be any other way for the Christian?

What a precious opportunity you have each day to connect with God. Don't let it become a chore. Remember the man who discovered a treasure in a field? "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field." (Matthew 13:44, NLT). Jesus was speaking about the Kingdom of Heaven, and we should dedicate our best time to seek it, rather than only giving God the leftovers of our day.

Remember that whatever else you're dealing with in life, look to Jesus first. "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33).