26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.
27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Here we see some encouragement to be determined and disciplined. And, in light of what Paul wrote several chapters earlier about our bodies being the Temple of the Holy Spirit, we are to exercise physical discipline, as well as discipline in the spiritual and other areas. The characteristic of self-control is listed in Galatians as part of the "fruit of the Spirit," and that, to me, means making the decision to allow the Spirit to control us, rather than live a life out of control, out of submission to the Spirit of God.
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1st Timothy 4 outlines how physical exercise can be beneficial to us, and how spiritual exercise is
important in so many ways. We can also be reminded that we are to exercise discipline in all areas:
8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.
10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
The sporting event known as March Madness has now determined the Final Four - on the men's side, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Villanova, and Syracuse will be vying for the NCAA national championship. The Syracuse women's team is in the women's Final Four, along with Oregon State, Washington, and, no surprise yet again - UConn.
So, with all this emphasis on basketball, the Christian Examiner website ran a nice story on the life of the inventor of basketball, James Naismith. The story quotes Michael Zogby, a University of Kansas religion professor, who said, "Naismith's goals in life, as he stated on his application to the International YMCA Training School, were to try to help 'win men for the Master,' to build character and to be an example for the men."
He was orphaned at age 9, raised by his grandmother, and was a high school dropout. He was working with his uncle in the lumber industry and spent too much time at the local bar. Someone reminded Naismith that his mother would be disappointed in him, and that was a catalyst for change.
He went back to college and got a physical education degree and then a theological degree from Montreal's Presbyterian College. But, he felt he could serve God better through physical education than a pulpit - he moved from Canada to Springfield, Massachusetts to become a grad student and an instructor at the International YMCA Training School.
During a blizzard in 1891, the director of the school asked Naismith to invent a game that could be played inside and would focus the energies of the school's young men. According to a 1939 radio interview Naismith said, "I called the boys to the gym and divided them into two teams of nine and gave them an old soccer ball. I showed them two peach baskets I had nailed at each end of the gym, and I told them the idea was to throw the ball into the other team's peach basket."
In a University press release, Professor Zogby is quoted as saying, "Less well-known is that his game also was meant to help build Christian character and to inculcate certain values of the muscular Christian movement." That movement was made famous by President Teddy Roosevelt and was particularly popular from 1880 to 1920. It tied physical health to "manliness" and spiritual health. At the core of Naismith's ministry was a commitment to developing the Christian character of young men.
Zogby said, "His approach was to put Christianity out there in front of people and try to influence them through positive character development, but he reserved his formal preaching for when he was a guest minister at area churches." Naismith is quoted as saying: "Whenever I witness games in a church league, I feel that my vision, almost half a century ago, of the time when the Christian people would recognize the true value of athletics, has become a reality."
I think about the desire that Naismith demonstrated to use athletics as a means of winning people to Christ. Isn't that the goal of organizations such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, as well as the aim of so many coaches who connect with young people through sports? Sport can be not provide physical reward, but also spiritual opportunity.
I was also struck by this concept of "muscular" Christianity - involvement in physical exercise can provide a number of long-term advantages. It shows that we are concerned with taking care of the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and, as Pastor Aaron Motley and I discussed prior to his church's recent "Run for Jesus" event, if we stay active, it could prevent us from being forced to the sidelines in our pursuits for the Kingdom of God. Poor health habits could short-circuit our effectiveness for the Kingdom. There is a relationship between physical activity and spiritual discipline.
Finally, Naismith apparently had a right perspective on what ministry looks like. Sure, he spent time in the pulpit, but he thought he could be more effective in being involved in PE - we are all called to be involved in the work of the Lord, and we can rely on the Holy Spirit to place us in the right position in order to be effectively used by Him.
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