Today’s reading is Philippians 3:1-4:23.

In Philippians 3:21, Paul talked about our lowly bodies. Every time I look in the mirror, I’m reminded, I have a lowly body. I mean really lowly. Big behind. Big gut. Wide thighs and hips. Flabby cheeks. I’ve been able to get a lot of things in check. Eating and exercise haven’t made it on that list yet. The result–a really lowly body.

No doubt, for my health and my family’s sake, I need to do something about that. If I work really hard, maybe I can transform my body into something more glorious.

That, however, is not what Paul is talking about. His point is about eternity. The fact is, no matter what I do with my body here on earth, it is still going to be lowly. I may work hard and attain super-model status (okay, that may be stretching it a bit), but I can really look a lot better. Yet, I still just have a lowly body that in the end will start to whither and decay. Sooner or later, no matter how hard I work, this body will lose its health and appearance. Eventually it will die. 

However, this life is not merely about this life. There is another life coming. We don’t actually end up in the graveyard. That is merely a transition to something else. If I’m in Christ, my lowly body will be transformed in the end into a really glorious body. No, it doesn’t mean I’ll be Charles Atlas. I won’t be a super-model. Women won’t swoon at the sight of me. Instead, I’ll have a spiritual body that doesn’t have the weaknesses of this flesh. My body will be transformed to be like Jesus’. 

No wonder bodily exercise profits only a little but godliness is profitable in all ways, both in this life and the next (I Timothy 4:8). Sure, I need to exercise. I’ll get to that tomorrow. Today, however, I better make sure I work on the godliness.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?