God Cares About You(r Mental Health)Sample

Today’s verse is 1 Timothy 4:8, which says, “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.”

When the Apostle Paul wrote this passage, athletic competitions were a big deal. Physical training was a sign of health and self-mastery—and it still is.

But today, in an age that talks so often about mental health, it can be easy to forget the role that physical health plays in our sense of well-being. Psychologists often mention that, in addition to things like counseling and medication, getting a good amount of sleep, eating healthy foods, and getting regular exercise can make a huge difference in how we feel about ourselves.

In other words, physical training is “of some value.” But human beings also need something deeper. We need a sense of meaning and purpose. We need to know why we’re even here.

As the brilliant psychologist and holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl once wrote, “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.” As Christians, we believe that our ultimate sense of purpose comes from a relationship with Jesus—which brings us back to the idea that “godliness has value for all things.”

When the Apostle Paul wrote this, he wasn’t just talking about avoiding vices or bad habits. What Paul was talking about is living our lives with God in view. And when we strive to live and maintain this kind of life, we find our sense of meaning and purpose—and the ultimate key to health in our mental, physical, and spiritual selves.