“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.” 1 Timothy 4:6
Of course, spiritual exercise (praying, studying the Bible, memorizing verses, Bible study, attending a place of worship, telling people about Jesus, etc) is more important than physical exercise. But why limit physical exercise? We should practice physical exercise since God’s word says that it has some value. Physical exercise is recommended by health experts to help keep diseases at bay. It makes us feel and look better. I had a frozen shoulder which is basically cured or kept under control by correct movements – the physical therapist told me, “Our bodies were meant to move.”
I want to present an idea (I feel from the Holy Spirit) in case you want to do something similar. I spend 1 ½ to 2 hours a day doing exercises – taking Sundays off except walking for 30 minutes. I do the exercises to Bible verses instead of counting.
Because it would be too long to include every exercise and every Bible verse, I will just include some exercises but will record all the Bible references. I use the 1984 New International Bible except in a few cases. That was the Bible edition I started with and I prefer consistency. Feel free to use your preferred Bible addition, Bible verses and exercises.
I do a few exercises when I first get up (before a bath). These are recorded.
MATTHEW 6:9-13
This is the only exercise in the King James Version – I learned as a child.
I lay down on a mat and bring my right knee to my chest with my left leg straight:
“…Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name…”
I bring my left knee to chest:
“… Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…”
Right knee to chest:
“…Give us this day our daily bread…”
Left knee to chest:
“… Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors…”
Right knee to chest:
“… And lead us not into temptation…”
Left knee to chest:
“… but deliver us from evil…”
Right knee to chest:
“…for thine is the kingdom…”
Left knee to chest:
“…and the power…”
Right knee to chest:
“…and the glory…”
Left knee to chest:
“…forever. Amen”
GALATIANS 5:22-23
I stretch on the mat with my arms over my head and my legs straight, flexing in ankles and my wrists up and down:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is…”
I stretch as far as I can from one side to the other, still lying on the mat with arms overhead:
“…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
PSALM 19-7-19
I bend my knees and press my back into the mat:
“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul…”
I stretch my knees to opposite sides:
“…The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple…”
I bring both knees to the left side as far as possible while lying on the mat:
“…The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart…”
I bring both knees to the right side as far as possible:
“…The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes…”
I bring both knees to the left side as far as possible:
“…The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever…”
I bring both knees to the right side as far as possible:
“…The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous…”
I bring both knees to the left side as far as possible:
“They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold…”
I bring both knees to the right side as far as possible:
“…they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb…”
I bring both knees to the left side as far as possible:
“…By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward…”
I bring both knees to the right side as far as possible:
“…Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults…”
I bring both knees to the left side as far as possible:
“…Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. …’
I bring both knees to right side as far as possible:
“…Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression…”
I bring both knees to the left side as far as possible:
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight…”
I bring both knees to the right side as far as possible:
“…O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
1 JOHN 5:14-15
I bring both my knees to my chest and hold:
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”
PHILIPPIANS 4:4-8
With my back pressed into the mat I put my right ankle over my left knee while bringing my left knee as close to my chest as possible and hold:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus…”
With my back pressed into the mat I put my left ankle over my right knee while bringing my left knee as close to my chest as possible and hold:
“…Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”
ROMANS 8:26-27
Lying on mat I bring my right arm above my head with my right leg straight and my left knee bent, then at same time as bringing my right arm to my side, I bring my left arm above my head, straighten my left leg bending my right leg. I do this exercise over and over while saying this verse a couple times:
“…In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”
COLOSSIANS 4:2-6
I stand straight, bring my shoulders up, then back, then down with my shoulders as far back as possible, then to my sides and repeat this exercise and this verse five times:
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should…”
I repeat this exercise five times with this part of the verse:
“… Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
Following are the Bible verses I use. These have taken me several years to memorize and align them with exercises I want to add. It helps me to remember these verses by saying them every day. I often pray for what or whom these verses remind.
Some of these verses I need to hear and apply every day. For instance:
JAMES 1:2-7
I hold small weights and lift my arms overhead and back down several times:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
OLD TESTAMENT verses for exercises:
2 CHRONICLES 7:14, 2 SAMUEL 22:33-37 & PSALMS 18:32-36, PSALM 16:1-11, PSALM 23, PSALM 37:4, PSALM 51:1-17, PSALM 73:23-26, PSALM 81:13-16, PSALM 91, PSALM 92:21-25, PSALM 118:28-29, PSALM 119:1-20, PSALM 119:32-34, PSALM 119:125, PROVERBS 2:1-12, PROVERBS 3:5-6, PROVERBS 4:20-23, PROVERBS 14:30,
PROVERBS 15-13, PROVERBS 15:15, Proverbs 15:30 , PROVERBS 16:24, Proverbs 16:24, PROVERBS 17:22, PROVERBS 24:10-11, PROVERBS 29:4, ISAIAH 26:3,ISAIAH 30:15, ISAIAH 40:28-31, ISAIAH 50:10, JEREMIAH 12:5, JEREMIAH 17:14, HABAKKUK 3:17-19
NEW TESTAMENT verses for exercises:
MATTHEW 5:3-12, LUKE 11:13, JOHN 1:1-5, JOHN 1:10-14, ROMANS 8:1-6, ROMANS 8:28, ROMANS 11:33-36,
ROMANS 12:1-2, 1 CORINTHIANS 10:12-13, 1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-7, 2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-6, 2 CORINTHIANS 12:9-10, EPHESIANS 1:13-14, EPHESIANS 1:15-19, EPHESIANS 2:8-10, EPHESIANS 3:16-21, EPHESIANS 5:15-17, EPHESIANS 6:10-20, , COLOSSIANS 3:1-4, COLOSSIANS 4:2-6,
TITUS 2:3-5, TITUS 2:11-14, JAMES 5:13-20, 1 PETER 1:3-9, 1 PETER 4:1-2, 2 PETER 1:3-11,
God bless!