10 Bible Verses about Exercise

The Bible not only guides us spiritually but also offers wisdom on caring for our physical well-being. In this post, we’ll explore a few verses that highlight the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including physical activity.

Have you lost your strength and peace? Sometimes worry can eat away at your peace and can leave you feeling weak. If that’s you today, click here – God can restore you.

Bible Verses about Exercise

1. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”

These verses emphasize that our bodies are sacred, urging us to treat them with respect and care as temples of the Holy Spirit.

2. 1 Timothy 4:8

“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”

While recognizing the value of physical training, this verse also highlights the superior importance of cultivating godliness for both this life and the one to come.

3. Proverbs 14:30

“A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.”

This verse connects emotional well-being with physical health, suggesting that a peaceful heart contributes to a healthy body.

4. 1 Corinthians 9:27

“I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”

Paul uses the analogy of an athlete to illustrate the discipline required in maintaining the body’s health and functionality.

5. Ecclesiastes 11:1

“Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you.”

This verse, while not explicitly about exercise, encourages a proactive approach in taking care of one’s physical and material well-being.

6. Proverbs 17:22

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”

Joy and a positive attitude are seen as beneficial to one’s health, reinforcing the idea that mental and emotional well-being contribute to overall wellness.

7. Romans 12:1

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”

Surrendering our bodies to God is described as an act of worship, emphasizing the sacredness of our physical selves.

8. Philippians 4:13

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

While often quoted in various contexts, this verse can also be applied to the strength needed for physical exercise and overall well-being.

9. 3 John 1:2

“Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.”

This verse expresses the wish for physical health to align with spiritual strength, reinforcing the interconnectedness of the two.

10. Psalm 139:14

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”

This verse encourages gratitude for the intricate design of our bodies, fostering an appreciation for the gift of physical well-being.

Short Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of our bodies, fearfully and wonderfully made. Please give us the wisdom and discipline to care for our physical health as an expression of gratitude and stewardship. May our bodies be temples that honor and glorify you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.