I’m not going to join the track team again! I said that to myself countless times during my years in school. But every track season, there I was, back on the team.
Why did I have a love/hate relationship with track? The training! During practice, we pushed our perceived physical limits and strove for perfection. And all that training led to some difficulty and discomfort. Having said that, however, it also led to physical fitness that I haven’t witnessed since then. So, even though I disliked all the running, it was good for me.
There’s another kind of training that is far more important than track—training in godliness. We need to train ourselves to be someone who faithfully walks with God each day. How do we do that? Well, the word train gives us a clue. You see, we don’t simply drift into godliness. Like the training for track, it takes intentional, focused steps to get there.
Watch your diet. What are you feeding on? Primetime TV? Bestseller novels? The apostle Paul urged Timothy to fill up on the message of faith and sound doctrine (1 Timothy 4:6). So reading God’s Word and feasting on solid Christian literature is a good start. But more than that, you need to truly believe and apply the truths of God’s Word to your life.
Use your time well. Paul told Timothy, “Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales” (1 Timothy 4:7). Likewise, you can’t simply wish you had time to read the Bible, pray, and meditate—you have to choose a time and stick to it.
I take regular walks with God. Along the way, I like to listen to sermons or simply talk with Him in prayer. These “workouts” have been great for my body and spirit. Start your own spiritual workout program today!
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 16:1-18
More:
Read Psalm 1:1-3 to get a good picture of someone who is trained in godliness.
Next:
Amid all the pressures and demands of your day, when will you take time to train in godliness? What new “workout” practices do you need to add to your regimen? Why?
tim gustafson on August 16, 2011 at 6:38 am
Thanks for this reminder, Poh Fang. In the past year, I’ve been turning off the radio on my drive to work and praying instead. My prayers are often just reactions to what I’m observing as I drive, but as I practice that, I’m listening for God’s Spirit. I’ve noticed it is making me much more patient with other people.
eppistle on August 16, 2011 at 6:41 am
I like your emphasis on spiritual disciplines. Too much of American Christianity is feeling based. We do what we feel like. And though certainly we should worship God with our emotions, we shouldn’t let emotions dictate whether we will practice the spiritual disciplines or not. We don’t drift into physical fitness, but we can drift into physical flabbiness. It takes discipline to be physically fit. In the same way, we don’t drift into spiritual fitness, but we can drift into spiritual flabbiness. It takes discipline to be spiritually fit. How are we doing in our spiritual disciplines – prayer, Bible reading, witnessing, accountability, memorization, meditation, worship, etc? If we are practicing spiritual disciplines only when we feel like it, we shouldn’t be surprised if we never get around to it. But if we practice spiritual disciplines even when do don’t feel like it, we shouldn’t be surprised if we get to the point that we feel like doing it and find great joy in the Lord when we practice these spiritual disciplines.
daisymarygoldr on August 16, 2011 at 2:38 pm
Awesome post, Poh! Paul encouraged Timothy to not let people look down on him because he is young and instructed him to set a good example of spiritual maturity. Godliness means Christlikeness—in what we say, in the way we live, in our love, our faith, and our purity (1 Timothy 4:12).
As we walk with the Lord daily to pray—study and obey His Word, His Spirit transforms us into the image of Jesus Christ. Now, people should not be fooled by spiritual fitness programs like Christian yoga, meditation, spiritually-oriented-psychotherapy and other godless ideas for self- improvement that are being followed by some in the church today. Transformation is possible only by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Christians don’t simply turn into Christlikeness; we train ourselves to become His disciples. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but is painful. Later on, however, those, who condition themselves to be godly, persevere under pressure and perform well in adversity—to live victorious Christian lives.
tom felten on August 16, 2011 at 2:41 pm
I’m glad I have some guys I meet with each week that help hold me accountable to staying in God’s Word and pursuing spiritual disciplines. We need each other to—as eppislte has said—not grow flabby in our faith (Proverbs 27:17)!
rncinca on August 16, 2011 at 9:37 pm
Thank you Poh for the the very pertinent reminder that training, whether physical, mental, or spiritual, is uncomfortable, even painful at times, especially when we “let ourselves go” and having neglected these needed practices, try to regain/return to our former levels of fitness. Eppistle, I loved your analogy of drifting-either into physical or spiritual flabbiness. It absolutely takes real and dedicated discipline to be fit on all levels! God Bless!