What an interesting insight! The great, transcendent God doesn't take pleasure in the legs of a man!We can think of this in connection with the world of athletics. The track star, lithe and swift, crossing the finish line with hands flung high in victory. The basketball player, streaking down the court to sink the winning basket. The football hero, muscular and strong, irresistibly plunging through the line.The crowd goes wild. They are jumping, shouting, cheering (or alternately booing and catcalling). They are fanatics, emotionally involved in every play. You might say that they take pleasure in the legs of a man - that is, in his ability to play the game.Our verse is not intended to prohibit an interest in athletics. The Bible elsewhere speaks well of the value of bodily exercise. But God's disinterest in the legs of a man should remind us to keep our priorities in balance.It is easy for a young believer to become so engrossed in some sport that it becomes the passion of his life. All his best efforts are aimed toward achieving excellence. He disciplines his time, his food intake, his sleep. He practices endlessly, perfecting skill in every conceivable play. He maintains an exercise regimen, designed to keep him in top physical condition. He thinks and talks about this sport as if it were his life. Perhaps it actually is.Sometimes a young Christian like this is brought up short when he realizes that God doesn't take pleasure in the legs of a man. If he wants to walk in fellowship with God, he must adopt God's perspective.What, then, does God take pleasure in? The eleventh verse of Psalms 147:1-20 tells us: "The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy." In other words, God is more interested in the spiritual than in the physical. The Apostle Paul mirrors this same value system when he says that "bodily exercise profiteth (a) little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." (1 Timothy 4:8).One hundred years from today, when the cheers have died away, when the stadium is empty, and the score is forgotten, the thing that will really count is a life that first sought the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

With reverence, humor and skill, William MacDonald wove a daily devotional tapestry that challenges the reader to think deeply and Biblically, and apply God's Word to their lives.

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

"He taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man." (Psalms 147:10)

The life that now is. Covetousness reading this begins to glow with delight; it exclaims, " This is the very thing I seek; 'the life that now is;' and of course 'that which is to come.' Religion is a good thing after all; I will give myself to it at once." But the promise is not to thee, covetousness; it is to godliness. It is to the soul in which covetousness is dead; to the godly soul, which says, " One thing is needful;" whose affections are set on things above; which looks upon the favor of God as life, and upon worldliness as death. This promise is to the follower of Christ who has taken up his cross and covenanted to abandon the paths of worldly pleasure. Yes; the promise of the life that now is can only be made to him who has learned to look upon life as a means of serving God, glorifying Christ, revealing the truth and working out salvation. He that is absorbed in the life that now is, loses both this life and that which is to come; he that is godly, that lives unto God, gains this life and that which is to come. Gains this life, because his sorrow is worth, a hundred times over, the joy of the ungodly; his life is not a prey to vanity; his days are so many steps toward a blissful condition; and God approves. Gains it, because all things work together for his good; - gains it, because all the promises are his; he has peace; he has joy, love, humility, purity, and a hope that will not fail him.

A daily devotional written by a Baptist Missionary to India, Reverend George Bowen (1816-1888) over 150 years ago.

Bowen's Daily Meditations

"Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." - 1 Timothy 4:8. 

Since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him. § “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. § You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the foundation of life; in Your light we see light. Godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

Daily Light on the Daily Path or Daily Light is a Christian daily devotional scripture reading published by Bagster & Sons about 1875. It has been reprinted continually since then. It consists of brief groupings of scripture passages which speak to prominent Biblical themes—two themes (morning and evening) for each day of the year. It appends no commentary, but simply allows scripture to speak for itself.

Morning Daily Light

 How great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You. 

8 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.

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things,<cr>1</cr> holding promise for both the present life<cr>2</cr> and the life to come.<cr>3</cr>

1 Timothy 4:8

 8 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.  

From Wikipedia: 

The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The NIV was published to meet the need for a modern translation done by Bible scholars using the earliest, highest quality manuscripts available. Of equal importance was that the Bible be expressed in broadly understood modern English.

The NIV is published by Zondervan in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. The NIV was updated in 1984 and 2011 and has become one of the most popular and best-selling modern translations.

OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia; additional sources;
NT: UBS Greek New Testament; Novum Testamentum Graece; additional sources;

New International Version

 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. 

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.

 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.  

Bible Verse of the Day

September 20, 2024

1 Timothy 4:8 NIV

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