Article by Jeff Melton, FCA Communications Manager
Appearance can be a tricky concept. It can detail someone’s view of you or how you view yourself. It is easy to get caught up in differing definitions, but the reality is that our primary role is to know how God views us.
In Psalm 139, David utters the famous phrase, “I have been remarkably and wondrously made.”
If the Creator of the universe says that we are remarkable and wonderful, how should that change our perspective, the way we see ourselves, our appearance and behaviors? The Bible often uses the metaphors of physical athletes to explain important values of the Christian faith.
1 Corinthians 9:25 points to this: “Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable crown.”
Just like physical training requires discipline and consistency, godliness is cultivated through intentional spiritual growth. The goal is to become more like Christ and reflect His love and righteousness in all aspects of life.
1 Timothy 4:7-8 tells us to train physically and spiritually. It says that “training the body has limited benefit,” but does not say it has no benefit. God created us in His image, and it is an act of worship to the Lord to steward our physical bodies well. But most importantly, we are not to stop there. We need to continually push our spiritual growth as much as we train our bodies.
Training in godliness as a Christian means actively pursuing a life that reflects God's character, growing in faith and living in obedience to His Word. It is a process of spiritual discipline, much like physical training, where a believer exercises habits that nurture their relationship with God.
1. Engage in prayer, Bible study, fasting, worship and fellowship to strengthen faith and dependence on God.
2. Transform your thinking through Scripture rather than conforming to worldly influences.
3. Live with integrity, love, humility and holiness as Christ exemplified.
4. Remain steadfast in trials, trusting God’s plan and growing spiritually through challenges.
How we appear before God shows the state of our hearts. It is important to take care of our bodies, as God has given them to us to live and love as He does. And it’s important to care for our souls, as our spiritual training builds spiritual muscles and honors God, who wonderfully and purposefully created us. Let’s appear like Him today.
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Quarter Verse
"Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.” - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you think you view your physical body and competition in sports the way God desires you to? Do you need to make any changes so that your lifestyle and view of athletics match God’s? Or do you have an opportunity to step up and lead others?
We are called to be examples of God to the watching world. What will you do with the body, mind and spirit God has given you?
