(Audio transcription below)

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 1 Corinthians 9:24

James Patterson has a great analogy. Imagine life is like juggling five balls – work, family, health, friends, integrity. If you drop the work ball, it will bounce back. But if you drop these other five balls, they are like glass and will break. Today, I am going to talk about the health ball.

In this first video from Rudy, we see Rudy find out he did not make the dress out list on his last chance.

It’s safe to say there are no Olympians in here or anyone who will be on the Notre Dame football team. The real prize is not being on the team, but the prize is all the other things he accomplished to get to where he was. When I was in high school, I wanted to be a body builder. My youth leader gave me a poster with 1 Timothy 4:8 on it, which says “for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” His goal was not to get me to stop training, but his goal was to get me to focus on the more important spiritual things which are normally what we talk about when we come to church. But today, we’re going to talk about what that “some value” means when it comes to physical training.

The first way Challies talks about our physical training is that it has value to our mission. He refers to it as twice owned.

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:13-14

Firstly, because God owns our body, he expects us to employ our bodies for his mission. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit with you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” One Biblical figure that really stands out to me who was very strong in his old age is Caleb. Caleb was one of the original 12 spies and Caleb and Joshua were the only spies that brought back a positive report. At 85, he still had not received the land he was supposed to get so he went to Joshua and said, “Hey, I’m ready to take the hill country.” The hill country was full of giants, but he said, “I am as strong today at 85 as I was at 45.” So he had a chance to finish his mission because he was still strong at the age of 85.

I run a small home health care business so I have a front row seat to see what it’s like when people don’t take care of themselves. I’m not saying everyone who comes to me, hasn’t taken care of themselves, but I have seen plenty of people neglecting their health. We took care of a cardiologist one time who smoked so much that they had to put special ventilation in his house so the caregivers could actually breath. He had COPD so he was suffocating himself. He would drink so much at night that sometimes I would have to go over and help the caregivers get him to bed. I looked at how brilliant his mind was and how much he ruined his body. You do not want to end your life like that, it’s a horrible way to die.

The second thing is physical training has some value because our bodies are a temple of the holy spirit.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1

If we come into the church and think about the building as a place we want to take care of, we will wipe our feet off before coming in so we don’t track in grass. During Covid, we installed a special filtration system to help clean the air. God expects us to take care of our bodies in the same way. We dump trash into the trash can, he doesn’t expect us to dump trash into our body.

In 1998, my body building coach told me to buy a fast foot hamburger and to keep it for a week and see what it looked like at the end of a week. I thought it would decay and smell, but I did it anyway and at the end of the week it did not look any different. After a week, the burger was as hard as a rock and it never decayed. I kept that burger and after 25 years, it still looks the same.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:9-11

What we put in our minds, impacts the way we live our lives. The same thing can be said about your body. What you put in your body impacts your health. You know the saying, “you are what you eat.” I have read many diet books. I’m not here to give you diet advice today because I know no one wants that, but I will say there are three things that most have in common. They usually tell you, do not eat processed foods, don’t eat processed sugar and drink plenty of water. I read something this week that said men should get at least 125 ounces of water a day. That’s a lot of water and I’ve been trying to do it and recommend you don’t do it right before you go to bed! The British Medical Journal found that individuals who eat a diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and olive oil had a 25% lower risk of dying young.

The thing is, physical training has some value in how we steward our body. Robert Murray M’Cheyne was one of the most powerful ministers to ever stand in the pulpits of Edinburgh and Dundee. He has some famous quotes:

If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.

A man is what he is on his knees before God, and nothing more.

Unfortunately, he died at the age of 29. Partly because he had weakened his constitution by overwork, excessive busyness and chronic fatigue. One last quote from M’Cheyne,

God gave me a message to deliver and a horse to ride. Alas, I have killed the horse and now I cannot deliver the message.

If we stop right there and end it now, remember that this is your body. This is what keeps you alive and the only way you can employ your mission. So what plays do you think he had left to run, that he didn’t get to finish? What plays do you have left to run? Are you going to be around to see your grandkids? Are you going to be around to see your great grandkids? I have a daughter that’s 13, so if I’m going to see my grandkids I really have to take care of myself.

As I mentioned previously, I take care of older adults so I have a front row seat to see what aging is like. I see a lot of falls, strokes, and cognitive loss of function. According to the World Health Association, physical inactivity is a leading risk factor for diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. It is estimated that 1 in 10 men will sustain a hip fracture in their lifetime. And Meta revealed that men sustaining a hip fracture had an almost 8 fold increased risk of death after the first three months of the injury. So my observation is, after you get to this point, it’s a little too late to decide you’re going to start exercising and reverse that process. It’s important to be exercising now while you have your health and that’s why Challies closes the chapter by saying make a plan to be fit. He has three points:

1. Exercise – Research shows that exercise bolsters immunity, slows the biological clock and keeps the brain young. When I was 30, I was in probably the best shape I had ever been in my life and at 32, I got a job traveling where I had to be away from home and eat out a lot. And by 38, I had gained about 30 pounds. I noticed that when I would play tennis or do something active, I started getting winded. Then one day, I was playing tennis and eventually tore my calf and that’s when I decided I needed to get back in shape because I was going down hill really quick. So today, I make an effort to go to the gym and work out at least 45-60 minutes every day. And after that, I’ll try to do two or three walks throughout the do so I get at least 90 minutes. I find that if I just do 60 minutes in the morning and then sit all day, it does not seem to be enough.
2. Guard against idleness – In 2022, I noticed that sitting all day was leading to a lot of back pain. Getting up and going for a walk helps relieve tension and relax and is also a good time to listen to a book or podcast or be on a phone call. You can continue to work. The people in the neighborhood behind my office must know who I am because they see me walking around. I mapped it out and know how long each block is.
3. Guard against gluttony – If you’re stuffing your body full of food, it’s going to cause your body to work harder. The only thing your body can do with those extra calories is store it as fat.

I added one thing to what Challies says, and that is rest! I think it’s important to get good sleep. Good sleep improves brain function, mood and health. I was listening to a podcast about LeBron James and he gets eight to 12 hours of sleep a day. He spends, on average, one million dollars a year on recovery. He is a professional, and we don’t have that kind of money to spend on recovery, but we can think about recovery and how we treat our bodies.

Rudy gets more cheers for his one play than any other play of the game, even though it didn’t determine the outcome of the game. I think of Hebrews 12:1 when I watch this clip,

Since we’re surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

I imagine when we come into heaven and God says “well done good and faithful servant,” that it might be something like this scene from Rudy. No other player has been carried off the field like this since then. Think about this when you work out, you may not make the football team, but you may want to be there for a conversation with your great grandchild.

Questions:

How can guarding our health help us be more effective in these three areas?

1. Physical training has “some value” to our Mission.

—God owns our body and expects us to employ our bodies.

—How does keeping our body strong help us to accomplish our Mission?

2. Physical training has “some value” for our temple of the Holy Spirit.

—Explore the concept of treating our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit.

—Discuss specific lifestyle choices, habits, and practices that align with honoring God with our physical well-being.

—Consider the role of self-discipline, gratitude, and stewardship in this context.

3. Physical training has “some value” in how we Steward our body.

—Discuss both short-term and long-term impacts of unhealthy choices.

—Share personal experiences or stories related to health choices and their effects on the quality of life.

Iron Leadership Materials:

• The Daily Office- 2-9-24
• IL Handout – 2-9-24