6 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Jeremiah 9:4-11:23
1 Timothy 3:14-5:2

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

1 Timothy 4:7-8 (CSB): “… Rather, train yourself in godliness. For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

About 15 years ago, I read 1 Timothy 4:7-8 for the umpteenth time. But it seemed as if God was speaking to me through those verses on that occasion. From that point, I started to see my task as a pastor through the lens of that verse. As I continued to hash out its meaning and implications, a staff member helped me create the motto: “Getting Fit for Here and Heaven.”

So, for the purposes of this article, let me abbreviate the truths and implications of these verses as I have learned and sought to apply them.

“Train yourself”

“Train yourself” is only one word in the original language. In Greek, it is the word (using the English alphabet) “gumnaso.” If I were to say that word out loud and ask you what English word it sounds like, you would almost certainly say, “gym,” or “gymnasium.”

That word describes the actions of an athlete as they are preparing for an event. It speaks of self-control that dictates what they eat and don’t eat, as well as which exercises they perform, how much rest they get, and so forth.

Further, “gumnaso” is written in the imperative mood, which means that it is not a suggestion. It’s a command! Paul is demanding that Timothy “train himself!” Through Scripture, God is also calling us to hear that we must also train ourselves.

But for what?

“Train yourself in godliness”

Timothy was commanded (and so are we) to exercise self-discipline and train himself with the seriousness of an athlete “in godliness.”

The word “godliness” refers to the beliefs and actions that God has and that enable us to resemble the God we claim to serve. If we are pursuing godliness, it just means we will reflect who our God is much more accurately to a watching world.

In fact, all of Scripture is given to help move us toward greater degrees of godliness in our thinking and actions.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (CSB): “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching (tells us what to believe), for rebuking (tells us when we are wrong), for correcting (tells us how to make things right), for training in righteousness (tells us how to live right), so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (words in parenthesis are mine)

The four main emphases of Scripture listed in the previous verses tell us that the Bible is given to help us live godly lives in how we think and in how we behave.

For the training of the body has limited benefit,”

Paul was well aware of athletics in his culture. I believe that he would be the kind of guy to watch a game at least every now and then. (Just do a search for all of the sports analogies in his writings.)

The words mentioned above seem to mean that he is diminishing physical exercise. He says that “the training of the body has limited benefit.”

However, we need to understand the culture in which he lived. What we call “exercise,” he called daily living. When we walk for a mile, we call it exercise. But unless they were in a boat, they either rode an animal or walked everywhere they went.

When we hear him say, “the training of the body has limited benefit,” we may be tempted to say, “Well, the Apostle Paul is saying that I can just continue to sit on the couch and eat cookies.” But that’s not what he was saying. In his culture, people walked multiple miles every week. He was talking about the serious athletes who trained for things like the Greek Olympics. He was saying that those professionals who spent hours each day training for athletic meets had very little personal benefit, because their actions essentially did nothing for eternity.

“but godliness is beneficial in every way,”

As Christians, we should take care of our bodies. We should try to move around as much as folks on planet earth did before the invention of the automobile.

But our focus should be on training for godliness. We should exercise self-discipline to get rid of the things that keep us from living for Jesus, and engage in those things that enable us to live for Him. If there is sin in our lives, we need to kill it (Romans 8:13). If there are activities that are wasting our time, then we need to replace them with better things. If we aren’t taking a weekly Sabbath to rest and get spiritually rejuvenated, then we need to start. If we aren’t studying our Bible and spending time in serious prayer, we need to begin.

What’s the benefit?

“since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

All things considered, your life will go so much better if you comply with the Lord’s instructions regarding what you are to think and how you are to behave. You won’t have any of the negative consequences of sinful choices or actions. Instead, you will be free to enjoy the blessings of a life lived according to the dictates of God’s Word.

Further, your compliance with God’s Word will be laying up treasures in Heaven. When you enter your Heavenly home and you stand before Jesus, you just might see a smile creep across His face as He lifts His hands to applaud and says with delight, “Well done! Well done, good and faithful servant!”

So, my friend, exercise to take care of the body God has entrusted to you. But exercise self-discipline and train yourself even more for the purpose of godliness. You have this life and all of eternity to enjoy the benefits that come from making such a wise choice.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you take care of the body He has entrusted to you.
  • Ask God to help you study His Word that His Holy Spirit can use it to inform you how to you are to think and live.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into what it means to grow in godliness, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What is spiritual growth?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)