week 5: self-control
tuesday
Self-Control is Communal
”As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
1 Peter 4:10-11
When we think of the Christian faith, most of our conversations revolve around how to love God well by growing in relationship with Him and serving others. You don’t usually hear conversations about exercising for the glory of God, and if it is brought up, it is often a divisive topic. But as important as other aspects of your faith are the aspects that affect your body. Every day we make conscious decisions or goals about our health whether that be to not care about our health or to strive to workout everyday. When you do this you must recognize that you are never just making personal goals, you are always making communal goals. Goals between you and God, as well as goals that are impacting those around you.
As stewards of the bodies God has given us we are called to have self-control. To use our bodies to the best ability God has allowed for us. However, we often use our bodies for ourselves and for our own satisfaction. Using our bodies for our own gain can come in the form of idolizing your body, but it can also come in the form of neglecting your body for your own comfort or pleasure. The extremes of both views ultimately lead away from our main purpose as Christians, that purpose being to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
So with that purpose in mind, examine what your motives are for wanting to exercise or not exercise. Our desire to glorify God should always shape our motives and actions. The best way you can do this is to ask yourself 5 things. These 5 things you should ask yourself not just when it comes to exercise but throughout your day as you are working towards being a purposeful Christian. If you can remember before anything you do in life, to pause and reflect on who, what, where, when, and why, you will be able to more fully understand and work towards thoughtful living on mission for God.
Questions to Ponder:
Who? Ask yourself who am I doing this for, really? (Am I doing this for myself, for another person, or am I doing this for God)
What? Ask yourself what am I doing this for? (Will this action draw me closer to God, or will this action draw me closer to getting my needs or desires met)
Where? Ask yourself where you should be doing this? (Is this thing at this place going to be a place where I could fall into temptation with lust, laziness, binging, etc. and if so how can I have better accountability to not fall into temptation in order to glorify God)
When? Ask yourself when is an appropriate time to do this? (Am I prioritizing exercise, friends, t.v., jobs, etc. over my relationship with Christ?)
Why? Ask yourself why do I want to do it? (Is it because I want glory, acceptance, fulfillment, connection, status, etc. or is it because I want to glorify God with my actions?)
Today’s Reading: