The “Great Commandment” is what I like to call a facemask moment for both the original followers and opponents of Jesus. Those who have played football with a helmet know exactly what happens in that moment when your coach wants your undivided attention. The facemask is held firmly in his calloused hands until he senses that you know what to do (or not do) on the next play.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength … this is the greatest and most important command (Deut 6:5; Matt 22:37-38; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27).
This is Jesus’ literal bottom line summary of the 10 commandments as well as the whole of scripture. For the next few weekly blogs, I will unwrap the implications of the Great Commandment on the pastor’s life. As the leader of pastoral leadership at LifeWay, my goal is to help pastors become spiritually, emotionally and physically healthy. I base that goal on my conviction that healthy churches are led by healthy pastors.
Because this is the first week of the year when we are most likely to pursue physical fitness, I will begin with “Love the Lord … with all your strength.” Here are a few ideas that, hopefully, will be helpful and encouraging to you.
1. Create an Enjoyable Exercise Plan
… the training of the body has a limited benefit (1 Tim 4:7b).
Many of us grew up hearing the KJV, “Bodily exercise profiteth little.” That is the way Brits talked 400 years ago, but it misses the point entirely in 21st-century English. This virtual paraphrase better catches Paul’s intent, “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better” (v. 8 NLT). The present tense of the verb “train” indicates that both spiritual and physical training should be a lifetime pursuit for Timothy—and us.
Your fitness plan will only be sustainable if you enjoy it. Don’t be afraid to try new exercises or sports. There have never been more ways to get off your seat and on your feet than today. Dr. James Levine from the Mayo Clinic likes to say that “sitting is the new smoking.” Here are some of his helpful tips.
Although I have enjoyed the help of trainers and partners, I do most of my workouts alone. I do both cardio and strength training twice a week each, which is what health experts recommend.
