Train Yourself for Godliness

"Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8) In my travels around the world. I have seen some amazing acts of worship. People are willing to suffer miles of crawling on their knees. Hooks and nails in their bodies. Or, lashings on their bodies. Others, will dedicate themselves to going without food or water, or, you fill in the space. All in an effort to “be acceptable” to god, or, fulfill a mandate from their spiritual leaders. Some suffer in the hope of overcoming sin and achieving holiness. While Paul recognizes the importance of exercising control of the body in our pursuit of holiness, we can also easily recall his conclusion to this kind of bodily discipline in Colossians 2:23 “These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” But we do indeed need to exercise ourselves in godliness. What then is godliness?

The negative: The bodily demands framed by the flesh DO need to be rejected, deprived. Sometimes for a season. Sometimes on a daily basis we need to crucify the desire which is an unnecessary weight on our new birth, or, a sin that needs rejecting. (Hebrews 12:1-2) The positive: The things that feed and express who God is, His designs, His desires, His plans for our particular life, His kingdom come, need regular exercise. Exercise means we use something. In physical exercise, we use muscles. They have to be exercised regularly to be toned and strengthened Spiritual life needs to be exercised too. How do we exercise “godliness?”

1. Time with God in His message, the Bible.

2. Time alone, just to ponder His designs, our most important commitments, and how we have structured our life.
   

3. Time to assess how we manage the assets He has put into our hands.

4. Time to evaluate how we treat other people.

5. Time to think about the day we will go into His presence.

Proverbs 8:34-35 Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD