Are you physically fit enough to accomplish the mission God has for you? As a 58-year-old preacher, I’ve become increasingly aware of my mortality and the ever-sagging effects of gravity. Early on in ministry I ballooned from 155 to 223 because, as they say, I let myself go. My blood pressure spiked and my energy dropped. In the middle of the day, I began scheduling what I affectionately nicknamed “fat naps” to try to compensate for my lack of energy. I coped with stress by eating. I coped with ministry frustrations by eating. I coped with the guilt I felt from eating by eating. Although I came from a very health-conscious family full of bodybuilders, I had kind of dismissed all of that as “unspiritual.” My body, I reasoned, was temporal anyway. Why would I spend time going through the pain of working out when I was going to get a new body in Heaven someday anyway? But what I came to realize was that, if I didn’t do something soon, I was going to be in Heaven sooner than I had planned. As church leaders, we rightfully focus on the importance of eternal values. But if we don’t stay in decent shape, our time on Earth to live out those values may be cut short due to a stroke or heart attack. Here are 4 reasons for church leaders to get and stay in shape physically: 1. Getting in shape builds endurance. Ministry is hard. It’s mentally, emotionally, and spiritually taxing. So when you’re physically strong, it enables you to face these challenges with a sharp mind and strong body. There’s something about enduring the hardship of those extra sit-ups that prepares you for the pain you’re going to endure in that extended elders meeting. 2. Getting in shape fuels spiritual disciplines. “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize” 1 Corinthians 9:24 Guys like Paul and Peter and the other disciples didn’t need to work out. They walked hundreds of miles and ate fish, bread, veggies, and fruit.  Paul seemed to understand the connection between spiritual disciplines and physical ones. This thread of connection reminds us that our bodies do matter. Healthy bodies make for sharper minds. Sharper minds make for better study habits in the Word. Better study habits make for stronger sermons. There’s a connection. We don’t want to overspiritualize the connection. But we don’t want to underestimate it either. 3. Getting in shape preps you to fight temptation. Satan tempted Jesus when he was at his weakest physically (Matthew 4:1-3). Jesus had just completed a 40-day fast, and Satan attacked when he knew Jesus’s body was worn down. I’m sure he figured that if there was an ideal time to see if he could get Jesus to sin, it was when His body was at its weakest physically. I’m convinced the Tempter does the same thing with ministry leaders. He knows that when we’re at our weakest physically, we’re most likely to let our guards down spiritually. Obviously, working out doesn’t give you an automatic victory over Satan’s temptation, but it does give you an advantage over your squishier compadres. 4. Getting in shape strengthens you for the mission. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations” Matthew 28:19 We need to be energized to Gospelize. Yes, most of this energy is spiritual. But some of it is physical.  Jesus was strong enough to endure the most painful torture imaginable. Peter was healthy enough to swim a hundred yards to shore without falling over dead. Paul was fit enough to survive beatings, shipwrecks, a stoning, and much, much more. These men were healthy enough to accomplish the mission God gave them. Are you you? How can you get in shape? Start by identifying a few unhealthy foods and good ones you can swap in. Then schedule workouts in your calendar and guard that time. Try walking, and consider gradually progressing to running. Join a local gym. Do something. Do anything. Start now! Either that or get used to them fat naps.