April 23 Walking is Good Exercise

April 23 

Walking Is Good Exercise

Ac 24:16 And herein do I exercise myself….

If you are like I am and would like to lose a few pounds let me suggest that walking is a great way to do it. First you do not need to buy any equipment. You already own shoes, and a coat if it is chilly. Secondly it is free. You do not need to sign up, become a member, pay dues, or any such thing. Thirdly you do not need to go to some special place to walk. Just open your door and go for a walk. The health experts say just ten minutes a day will make a difference.

But you already knew everything I have just written. So why don’t we take advantage of such a simple and healthy thing to do? There are many good reasons… ooops I meant to say poor excuses. We are so busy we don’t have time. We promise ourselves we will do it tomorrow. We conveniently forget. We want to but can’t right now. We are too tired. My knee (hip, leg, stomach, head, little finger) hurts. If I have not listed your excuse, you have already thought about it.

If we boil all these excuses down we are left with three reasons we don’t do it. It is easier to not walk, or we don’t think a few extra pounds is unhealthy, or we do not think it is important to walk. It is easier to not walk is the clear winner of these three. We know we should but we do not.

The Bible says a lot about walking. But we already knew that too. Unfortunately we sometimes get a little lazy about our Christian walk. Oh I don’t mean we do terrible sinful backsliding kind of things. I mean we don’t do some things we know we should, because it is easier.  The Bible tells us how we should walk. 

Eph 5:15 walk circumspectly

Ro 13:13 walk honestly,

2Co 5:7 walk by faith

Ga 5:16 Walk in the Spirit

Ga 5:25 walk in the Spirit.

Col 1:10 walk worthy

Ro 6:4 walk in newness of life.

Eph 2:10 Walk…in good works

Eph 5:8 walk as children of light

Col 2:6  walk ye in him

Col 4:5  Walk in wisdom

1Th 2:12  walk worthy of God

1Jo 1:7 walk in the light,

3Jo 1:4 walk in truth

Re 3:4 they…shall walk with me in white

There are many other verses that tell us how we should not walk. By now you have gotten the idea that walking is good exercise. Both physical walking and spiritual walking.

If you need to shed a few pounds then try walking. And if you need to shed a few pounds spiritually, try walking according to the Scriptures. Huh?  How can you be overweight spiritually? If you have not been walking according to the list above and many other Bible verses you have been gaining the weight of this world. The Bible describes what you should be avoiding and how not to walk.

Ro 8:1 walk not after the flesh

Ro 13:13 not in strife and envying.

2Co 5:7 not by sight

Eph 4:17 in the vanity of their mind,

Eph 5:15 not as fools

2Th 3:11 Not disorderly …but are busybodies.

1Jo 1:6 walk in darkness,

Jude 1:18 walk after their own ungodly lusts.

Paul in Galations lists several things Christians should avoid to keep wordly weight off.

Ga 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:

Next he lists the kind of fruit people have who exercise their Christian walk.

Ga 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is

love,                       

joy,                

peace,    

             longsuffering,  

              gentleness,

                  goodness,

                faith,

                              23 Meekness,

                                           temperance….

Then in verse 25 Paul reminds us that it takes exercise to gain these.

Ga 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 

We should all hop on the spiritual scales from time to time and check if we have added some worldly weight. When we feel the cares of this world, discouragement, fatigue, depression, anger, frustration, and a whole laundry list of ailments, it is time to check out our spiritual walk.

So if you see me walking along the road, don’t stop to offer me a ride. I need to lose a few pounds. However if you find me sitting along the spiritual highway, encourage me to get up and join you in your walk.

The greatest example any of us could have for how to walk is Christ.

Eph 5:2 And walk in love,

as Christ also hath loved us,

and hath given himself for us…