What does it mean for our body to become our slave? In order to understand this, we must first understand what the demands of the body are. We shall only mention a few practical examples—food, clothing, rest, sleep, comfort, and special care in times of sickness. All of these things are demands of the body. Making the body our slave means that, through long periods of buffeting our body during ordinary times, we are able to put it under our control at the time of a race. If we are easy with our body at ordinary times, our legs, feet, lungs, and every other organ will not come under our control at the time of the race, and we will not be able to meet the demand of the race. In order for our body to obey, there is the need for long periods of training. If there is no such training, it will be impossible to steer the body on the spur of the moment. If we lack such training at ordinary times, and if we have never buffeted our body or dealt with it, it will not submit to us at a time of need. When we set out for our work, we will find that our body does not obey us. We will not be able to meet the demands of the body, and we will have no control over our body.
We should not think that a certain measure of spirituality is all that is necessary to engage in the Lord's work. There is still the matter of the body. Paul showed us how real this problem is. I am not asking whether we have a healthy body. I am asking whether or not we are the master of our body. Will our body obey us? If our body will not obey, we cannot serve God in the gospel. This kind of training cannot be completed in a short time. Some spiritual problems can be solved in an instant, but the buffeting of the body requires three, five, or even ten years. Those who have developed a habit of loose living need all the more to impose a strict discipline upon themselves.
For example, the body demands sleep under ordinary circumstances. Sleep is not wrong; it is not sinful, and the demand is surely legitimate. God has divided the day from the night to provide man with the opportunity to rest. It is right for man to sleep. If a man does not sleep, how can he work? But in order for us to buffet our body and make it our slave, we should not insist on sleeping when there is the need to be awake. This is what it means to make our body our slave. Suppose I have scheduled eight hours of sleep every day. It is right for me to take care of my body in this way. But in order to buffet my body and make it my slave, I will act in such a way as if I am beating myself and forcing my body to follow my instruction. I will train myself to such an extent that if I decided not to sleep today, I could do so. When the Lord was in the garden of Gethsemane, He took three of His disciples aside and said to them, "Watch with Me." When He found them sleeping on His return, He said to Peter, "So were you not able to watch with Me for one hour?" (Matt. 26:38, 40). The Lord wanted them to watch with Him, but they fell asleep. They could not watch with our Lord for even an hour. Is it wrong to sleep? No, sleep is legitimate and necessary. But if the Lord requires us to watch with Him and we cannot overcome this "legitimate" need, we will hinder His work. If any of us cannot give up our demand for sleep, we cannot serve God. This does not mean that a servant of God has to go without sleep night after night. This would be the life of an angel. We are not angels, and we need a good night's sleep every day. But for the sake of learning to follow the Lord and to buffet our body, we should learn to forsake our sleep for a night or two when necessary. This is what it means to make our body our slave.