The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Rather, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily training is just slightly beneficial, but godliness is beneficial for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

—1 Timothy 4:7–8

This verse reminds us to consider where we’re spending our resources—time, effort, and money—and to intentionally evaluate what stands out.

Exercise is valuable; Paul isn’t saying we can’t or shouldn’t do it. I also don’t think he is minimizing the importance of being healthy. As the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16–17), we’re to be good stewards of our bodies as the instrument we use to carry out the good works he’s assigned to us in this life (Ephesians 2:10).

But many of us spend far more of our resources on the external and temporary—looking younger, having the most fashionable clothes, the most toned body, or the fanciest car—than we do the internal and infinite.

Exercise for health can sometimes become exercise for vanity, and Paul is reminding us to keep our priorities straight. Neither exercise nor any other good thing in our lives should come before disciplining ourselves for the purpose of godliness.

That is pursuing a lesser good to the detriment of the eternal good.

And training for godliness actually trickles into every other area of our lives because it fosters the self–control and wisdom we need to be disciplined overall.

Are we spending the bulk of our resources on things that are only valuable for this life or on things that are valuable not only now, but also into eternity?

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