Go Work Out

​I was talking to a great friend on the phone and mentioned that I was recentlychallenged while out running by my asthma in the high altitude of Colorado. He mentioned that he had not worked out in quite some time because of his six-month deployment.  By eating mainly restaurant food and not exercising hisblood pressure rose and he put on extra pounds.  Before I hung up the phone I encouraged my friend to go work out. He laughed in agreement.   
 

Meditation
3 John 2—Dear friend, I pray that you may prosper in every way and be in good health physically just as you are spiritually.
 
The apostle John was not just concerned about the spiritual prosperity of his friend Gaius, he was also interested in his physical health—and for good reason! It is harder to walk in the truth when we are sick, overly tired, or struggling physically.  Serving the Lord is difficult enough in a world full of sin but even more so if we don’t feel well.  

Paul wrote the Corinthians “Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Co. 6:19,20).  Are you taking care of your body?  Exercise is an important component of health.  I’m consistently inspired by my son Bryan, who twice a week works hard with a trainer to improve his health after suffering a debilitating stroke in 2015.  He could easily make excuses about how difficult it is to push his body, but he doesn’t.  He perseveres.  Just as you and I need to if we are to be at our best.
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Steven M. Southwick and Dennis S. Charney in their book Resilience, share that “Abundant scientific evidence shows that physical exercise also can improve brain function and cognition, which includes thinking and memory.”  So, if you are able, go work out.  If you need encouragement, find an accountability partner. If you lack discipline, set aside regular time coupled with realistic goals and exercise.  By God’s grace and for His glory, you can do it!
 
Inspiration 
Aerobic exercise can also be helpful in reducing symptoms of depression.  In a 1999 study of 156 middle-aged men diagnosed with major depression, James A. Blumenthal and colleagues (1999) found that 16 weeks of aerobic exercise was as effective in lowering symptoms of depression as 16 weeks of treatment with the antidepressant drug Zoloft.—Steven M. Southwick & Dennis S. Charney in Resilience
 
©2018 Daniel York  ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)