Mark Chapter 21 tells the story of Jesus’s meeting with the rich, young ruler. The young man told Jesus that he had followed the Scripture teachings all on his life, and questioned, what else must I do?

Jesus told him to deal with his addiction of the Love of Money.  Jesus even told him how to deal with addiction by sell everything that he had and give it away, THEN “..follow Me.”.

The Scripture says that the rich, young ruler went away sorrowful. He made his choice.

We do need to ask Jesus to pinpointed our addictions, and like the rich, young ruler’s problem.

Jesus will be happy to tell us what the problem is, whether it is just laziness, whether we have a deep-seated hurt that we have refused to forgive. He will tell us so we can get rid of it and follow Jesus.

For bodily exercise profith little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to. 1 Tim. 4:8 KJV

I was asked my opinion with the concept for a Christian view of fitness, bodybuilding or weightlifting. I would like to start with the Word of God, because as anything is contrary to the Holy Scriptures then it’s worthless to pursue and doomed to failure already.

First Timothy 4:8 teaches, For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. Physical fitness is important, and it does have some value however Spiritual Fitness is MOST IMPORTANT. We are physical and spiritual beings, and the condition of the physical body undeniably can impact the spirituality of a person.

Our physical “bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit” and we are instructed to “glorifying God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20) is keeping it in reasonably good physical condition. Weightlifting can be a part of a Christian’s physical fitness program.

At the same time, as with ANYTHING in this life, fitness, weightlifting, or bodybuilding, if taken to the extreme, can become an idol or a.k.a. addiction or obsession. While this is much more often an problem among men, it can for ladies as well.

Exercising for bigger and stronger muscles, for the sole purpose of seeking attention from the opposite sex, OTHER THAN YOUR SPOUSE, is nothing but vanity (1 Samuel 16:7; Ecclesiastes 1:2; 1 Peter 3:4).

If you are a Fitness guru like myself, or bodybuilder /weightlifting that has Accepted Jesus as your Savoir and Lord,  then I suggest you ask the Holy Spirit which live inside you. He will notify you of any “Problem areas”. because once we allow our physical appearance or ANYTHING to become more important than our relationship with God, then my friend you have yourself and idol.(1 John 5:21).

My  key suggestion is ask our Holy Father, “Is bodybuilding/weightlifting or anything else hinder my walk with you?” He will let you know!

“‘Everything is permissible for me’—but not everything is beneficial. “‘Everything is permissible for me’—but I will not be mastered by anything. . . . ‘Everything is permissible’—but not everything is constructive” (1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23).

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Yordan Yovchev, Bulgarian gymnast. Competed in 6 Olympics!!!

Johanna Quaas,

Worlds oldest gymnast at 88 Years Old

 

When is middle age, physically?

Many may not realize the “the middle age” for the human body actually starts in mid 20’s.

According to Developmental Psychology Mind 2 Matter, http://www.ablongman.com/html/mindmatters2/html/m7/m708.html

“Physical growth of the body and nervous system is mostly complete by the end of adolescence. After this period, the rate of physical change decreases, but change does not cease. For many people, the physical changes that become evident in adulthood take the form of a gradual decline in physical and sensory abilities. This decline is popularly imagined to begin in middle age or old age, but can actually be observed in the mid-twenties. For example, our speed of reaction peaks in the twenties and then gradually decreases. Similarly, muscle strength declines 30% to 40% from age 30 to age 80. Internal changes occur as well. Our cardiovascular system becomes less efficient over time. Blood pressure tends to rise as blood vessels become less elastic and “harden” with age and as the arteries become occluded by cholesterol and other substances. Lung capacity begins to decrease, dropping 40% between the ages of 25 and 85, and we become more susceptible to respiratory diseases.”