Regarding some of the recent posting about pastors and their levels of fitness, a few comments. First, if you think that these posts are actually about fitness, you are missing the actual game. This conversation is motivated by something else entirely. Second, to the extent that young men are being discipled into this mentality, they are being shepherded into spiritual retardation. Proverbs teaches that the glory of young men is their strength and of old men, their grey hair (Prov. 20:29). Over the course of life, you move from strength to wisdom. And like the wine in Jesus’ wineskin parable, no one having tasted the older prefers the younger. By making fitness into a pastor’s goal, you swap out the end and replace it with the beginning. That is what I mean by spiritual retardation. You are putting infancy in the place of maturity. And that is no knock on pursuing fitness. By all means, young men pursue strength. That is where you start. But the end is wisdom. And I prefer a mature pastor over an infant pastor. Lastly, I’ve seen the argument that this is about stewardship, about healthy practices that will give you a long life. That is a great end to seek. But scripture gives us clear teaching on how to pursue that end. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you,” (Ex. 20:12). If you want to live long in the land, obey the fifth commandment. If you pursue fitness while disrespecting your elders, best of luck on your wellness journey, but don’t expect God to bless it.