Exercise is Good! *Don’t miss the “exercise” instructions at the end of this post!
Proverbs 27:9 – “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, So a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend.”
Exercise is on my mind these days. My girlfriend, Amy, and I are trying to walk a couple of times each week, attempting to stay in shape. Besides, it’s important to set aside all the busy-ness of the day and spend a few minutes talking with a friend. We need it! Relationships are more important than any business or agenda of the day, and if they are to flourish, relationships must be nourished. Time must be invested. Jesus was never in a hurry and always had time for people.
The month of April began with three days each week of physical therapy for my knees, hips, and back. In addition to walking with Amy, I gradually added some time for cardio-fitness under the supervision of my physical therapist. Now that I’m down to two PT sessions each week, I had to add some visits to my chiropractor to work out some issues with my neck. I’m really not a hypochondriac, but at this point I officially feel “old”. That is what I get for teasing my husband when he qualified for AARP a few years ago! Now it’s my turn.
The older we get the more the body breaks down, kind of like a car. The older the car, the more time, work – and money – it takes to keep it running smoothly. By the way, that’s one benefit of leasing my vehicle. I get the car when it’s new, then just when it starts giving me trouble, I give it back. Wouldn’t that be nice if we could do that with the body parts that aren’t working so well anymore. “Lord, this knee is hurting a lot; it doesn’t bend like it should, and it’s slowing me down too much. Besides it’s getting old and looking kind of ugly these days. A newer model would be nice. Can you just put me to sleep like you did with Adam in the Garden of Eden, when you took out his rib to create Eve? You could just switch out the old knees, – You know, “Out with the old, in with the new!” Unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way. I’m stuck with this body, until the Lord gives me a brand new one. I look forward to that promise more and more the older I get. In the meantime, I need to keep fixing this old body up and maintaining it to the best of my ability, keeping in shape through healthy eating, exercise, and stretching.
Our spiritual life can get messed up as well if we don’t take time to nourish our hearts and minds with God’s Word and practice the spiritual exercises God has given us, such as prayer, meditating on His Word, memorizing Scripture, practicing good works. If we really desire to get serious about being in good spiritual shape, we need to stretch ourselves so that God is able to use our lives in a greater way for our good and for His glory.
I have an exercise for you today that will help to stretch you, one that I have been working on these past few days. It has to do with remembering. However, before I explain, let’s take a look at the importance of remembering in Scripture.
Reflecting and remembering are important biblical principles. God admonishes his people over and over, “Remember…” “Do not forget…”
In Israel, stones of remembrance were set up after God parted the waters of the Jordan River in the days of Joshua. This was done, “so that when your children ask later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.” (Joshua 4:5-7).
This past week was Passover week for the Jewish people, the time set aside each year to remember the time when God rescued His people from the land of Egypt and delivered them from the bondage of Pharaoh. The Jewish people celebrate with a Passover Seder dinner, each part of the meal symbolizing a part of the Passover story. God told Moses, “Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.” (Exodus 12:14). The significance goes beyond the Jew’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt and is a picture of the ultimate Passover Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ, who was sacrificed for our sin and in our place, on the very day the Jews would celebrate Passover and kill the Passover lamb. The account can be read in the Gospel of John, chapters 18-19.
Since Jesus came and the church was established in the book of Acts, one of the spiritual disciplines commanded by Jesus is to remember the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ through the practice of communion, as Jesus demonstrated for His disciples at the Last Supper, in Luke 22:19-20. Jesus told them, “This do, in remembrance of Me.”
Solomon admonishes his son in the book of Proverbs, “My son, do not forget my teaching…” (Proverbs 3:1) “Do not forget or turn away from the words of my mouth…”(Proverbs 4:5) In other words, Solomon was saying, “Remember!” Remember what you have been taught. Paul admonished Timothy to “kindle afresh the gift that is within you,” a gift he had discovered by the faith developed in him as a child, through teaching of his mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois. This gift was then affirmed “through the laying on of (Paul’s) hands.” (I Timothy 1:5-6) This event in Timothy’s life comes to Paul’s mind and he instructs Timothy to think back and remember. Remembering would help Timothy overcome his fear and give him assurance of his calling. Remembering will stretch us, too. Remembering will help us to remain faithful and keep us in the way of wisdom. Remembering cultivates thankfulness and increases our faith. Remembering can help us have courage to obey and follow God, to use the gifts and abilities He has given us for His glory.
So, this week, I have been remembering. An exercise of the mind and heart…stretching my thoughts way back in my life to the very beginning and travelling through each stage of life, identifying seasons and circumstances that were significant and memorable. Some of those stages were difficult and painful, yet as I took the time to remember and reflect, God brought to mind how He had worked in my life through people who encouraged me and helped me to trust in Him. I remembered God’s provision and His faithfulness and His love.
It has been good to remember the blessings of God and the people God has placed in my life. People who God used to mold my character and teach me to follow Him. People who have been mentors, models, leaders, and friends. Pastors, teachers, relatives, speakers, authors, and acquaintances, who knowingly or unknowingly to them, have made a difference. Men and women who were faithful to God, who loved Him and served Him, and allowed His love to flow through them to me. I wish I had time to tell you about each one as they have come to my mind. I would love to share how each person has impacted my life. But time will not permit. God knows each one and He will reward them for their labor of love. But I do look forward to sharing some of the stories and memories of God’s work in my life through His faithful servants. Some are already in heaven with Jesus. Some are still here. Some I have known since birth. Others I have known only a short time. Some I have not met face-to-face, but God has caused our paths to cross in some way.
In addition, I have asked a few of these special people to share a Proverb and what God has taught them in them in the book of Proverbs. I know you will be blessed by their writing and how God is using their ministries around the world.
So, here is an exercise for you today. Stretch yourself. Go back in time to the beginning and think about all of the stages of your life. Take a piece of paper and a pen. Write down the significant events of life that have impacted your journey of faith. Jot down the names of the people God placed in your life during those times to influence and help you in your journey. Then, say a prayer of thanksgiving for each of them. If possible, call them or send them a note, an email, or a text, and tell them what a difference they have made in your life. You will be refreshed and your friend will be encouraged. “Oil and perfume make the heart glad. So a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend.” (Proverbs 27:9) Stretch yourself way, way back “Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend.” (Proverbs 27:10) Who knows, you might even renew a friendship that has been long forgotten!
May the exercise of remembering stretch you and bless you today!
Kim