Cycling

I have been so long since I have been on my bicycle. I used to ride my bike anywhere from 15-25 miles per day. For some that may seem like a long way to ride; for me, it was. But there’s this gentleman here in town that rides his bicycle anywhere from 50-60 miles per day. He is 65 years old and he is dealing with some cancer issues. But everyday he’s riding.

I started to consider riding again . . . about three years ago. I decided that it was time to start again. After all, exercise can help so many different things that go on in our bodies. So my seven-year-old and I rode bikes yesterday for an hour. It was a great time. He is just getting used to not having training wheels on his bike. He took a few spills, but all-in-all he did great. He can make wide turns and he can make pretty sharp turns now. He was excited and I was thrilled. I have to get up to speed to keep up with my two sons!

But even more importantly, I need to take care of myself because the body that I have is considered to be a place where the Holy Spirit lives. See how Paul the apostle said it:

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Now don’t misunderstand me. I do not necessarily think that this verse is speaking specifically of keeping healthy or physically fit. I know that in the context of the passage Paul is saying that we ought not be giving ourselves to sexual immorality. But there is still a principle that can be applied to the way that we keep ourselves.

If you are to love God with all your heart, soul and mind, you need to be healthy enough to do so. It certainly stands to reason that if you want to love your neighbor you will love them according to the way that you love yourself (cf. Matthew 22:37-41). In order to love others you need to be healthy enough to do so.

Spiritually speaking, to glorify God in our body is not just keeping ourselves from sexual immorality–although this is extremely important–but also keeping ourselves from becoming unhealthy. Eating right, taking the right supplements, not ingesting certain foods or even some medications that are breaking our bodies down even more is part of it. Exercising on a regular basis is also important.

So, I want to glorify God in everything that I do and in everything that I am. This means that I need to be healthy. It means that I need to exercise. It means that I am going to start cycling again. I will build up my mileage to what I once rode. I will surpass it as well. That’s my goal. I will do it to serve the Lord.