When you think of exercise, what comes to mind? Perhaps running on the treadmill or lifting weights? Maybe following a training plan to achieve certain goals? Exercise is marketed to us as a means of self-improvement, health, and attractiveness. In an increasingly sedentary culture where we spend hours a day at a desk, in a car, or even on a couch, this isn’t necessarily the wrong message.

* Exercise and movement are critical to good health and longevity. However, this also isn’t a full message on the importance and             value of movement.

* Exercise isn’t a means of self-improvement idolatry but a means of obedience to God’s creational intent and redemptive purposes.

* Exercise is an act of faithful stewardship that honors God’s sovereignty over our bodies. We are created for movement and called to    glorify God in all things. Scripture also offers valuable guidance for those who neglect this vital aspect of our creation.

Created for Movement

God’s intent for man is evident in Genesis 2:15, “The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it...” Man was not made for idleness, but for movement and labor. Even in the most perfect and ideal circumstances, it was not God’s design for man to lounge around. The work for which humanity was created required movement, strength, and cultivation of the earth. When we experience delight and joy in our movement and physical achievements, this is a beautiful recall of this aspect of our creation.

This task becomes notably more challenging after the fall when God says in Genesis 3:17, “The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life.” Before the modern conveniences we enjoy, it was unlikely that one could live both a sedentary and prosperous life. It requires great physical strength and dedication to work the ground. Movement was not a luxury but a means of survival.  Exercise today echoes this creational purpose by maintaining vitality for kingdom work.

Paul teaches that we are to glorify God with our bodies (1 Cor 6:20). Not only that, but we are also to present our bodies as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1). The state of our bodies matters, and we need to be able to use them to do the work the Lord has prepared for us. We are to pursue holiness in all areas, including our physical health. An idle, gluttonous, and sedentary life not only reveals potential idols and sins but also impedes a healthy and active ministry.

It is challenging to serve the kingdom from the couch. Exercise is a practice of honoring God with our bodies. It requires discipline, dedication, and perseverance to put aside comfort for a greater purpose. Regular movement stewards God’s gift of longevity in ministry. We cannot control diseases and injuries, and we will assuredly have seasons where it may be inadvisable to exercise. However, when we live within God’s design for healthy activity and habits, we steward the life and body God has given us well. Family and church life benefit from healthy members, so it is incumbent upon us to do what we can to maintain our strength, mobility, and health.

Biblical Examples of Exercise and its Absence 

King David was a model of physical preparedness. He was a shepherd who fought lions and bears (1 Sam 17:34— 36). The strength and agility he developed prepared him for a military life. His exercise through labor equipped him for God’s purposes.

In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul uses an athletic metaphor, portraying exercise and disciplined training as preparing him for spiritual endurance and faithfulness.

Eli the priest did not glorify God in his body. He was overweight from overindulgence and apparently sedentary, as evidenced by his sitting at the doorpost of the temple of the Lord (1 Sam 1:9). He fell backwards off a chair, “and since he was old and heavy, he died (1 Sam 4:18).”

King Eglon of Moab is described as extremely fat (Judges 3:17). His obesity made him vulnerable to assassination by Ehud, the folds of his belly even swallowing up the sword that killed him (Judges 3:22).

Proverbs is full of wisdom regarding the consequences of idleness (Prov 6:6—11), and how the wise are active with overgrown vineyards (Prov 24:30—34). Idleness is a sin that provokes God’s discipline.

Conclusion

A good theology of exercise integrates creation, stewardship, and biblical wisdom. We can view exercise and fitness as worship under God’s lordship. God made us for movement, so as God has allowed and equipped us, let's continue laboring with our bodies, enjoying the gift of movement as we are able.