SPIRITUAL EXERCISE: Part II (I Timothy 4:7-9)
A first key to becoming disciplined is commitment. Paul told Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God”, 1 Timothy 2:15. He was urging Timothy to make a commitment to God that he would train himself spiritually. Paul said, “Train yourself.” Timothy was personally responsible for his progress in godliness. He was not to just trust the Lord for that progress and then relax, though he certainly understood that any progress he made was only through divine enablement.
The concept of commitment occurs repeatedly throughout the Bible. It is found in David’s cry to God, “earnestly I seek you”, Psalm 63:1. It is found in God’s promise to the captives in Babylon, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart”, Jeremiah 29:13. It lies behind such exhortations as “Make every effort…to be holy”, Hebrews 12:13 and “make every effort to add to your faith…godliness”, 2 Peter 1:5-7. None of this seeking, pressing on, or making every effort will occur without commitment on our part.
We Christians may be very disciplined and industrious in our business, our studies, our home life, or even our ministry, but we tend to be lazy when it comes to exercise in our own spiritual lives. We would much rather pray, “Lord, make me godly,” and expect Him to “pour” some godliness into our souls in some mysterious way. God does in fact work in a mysterious way to make us godly, but He does not do this apart from the fulfillment of our own personal responsibility.
Secondly it is important to have a training routine. Just as athletes have a particular time of the day for their training program, Christians should have a regular quiet time for reading and studying the Bible and for prayer and meditation. No one makes it to the level of Olympics, or even national, competition without a willingness to pay the price of rigorous, daily training. And similarly, no one ever becomes godly without a willingness to pay the price of the daily spiritual training which God has designed for our growth in godliness. It is to be a daily “workout”. Paul told the Philippians, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” Philippians 2:12-13
Thirdly we must have a motivation for training ourselves unto godliness. THE FACT OF THE LIVING GOD SHOULD MOTIVATE US TO DISCIPLINE OURSELVES FOR GODLINESS “For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God”,1 Timothy 4:10. “We have fixed our hope on the living God.” This means, God is real. God is not the projection of our minds. He created the universe and all that is in it. Because He is the living God, we can live each day in fellowship with Him. And this motivation means that we are not just living for the present time but we are preparing ourselves now for our future in heaven.
If that’s not true, we’re wasting our time. If there is no eternity with the living God, then “eat, drink, and be merry, because tomorrow you die”,1 Corinthians 15:22. But since it’s true that God is living, and we have fixed our hope on Him, then it should motivate us to discipline ourselves for godliness.
Fourthly we must have good nutrition. Athletes develop their bodies with good diets. They eat the right kind of food and drink. Junk food is not on their menu. We must continually feed on God’s Word, or “sound doctrine.” So it’s crucial that we feed our mind on God’s Word through every means—by hearing it preached; by reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on it. God’s Word shows us what God is like and how He wants us to live. There is no such thing as godliness apart from constant nourishment from God’s Word of truth.
Author: John Spence