A Word from 1 Timothy 4

Do you have any routines that you follow to take care of yourself and your possessions? Do you walk, or go to the gym, or try to eat right? Do you do laundry, or clean the house, or mow the lawn? Do you keep track of your finances, or visit the doctor when you’re feeling poorly?

Well obviously, those are all good things! And we’d be terrible stewards of our physical selves if we failed to do the simple but important things that keep our bodies and homes and possessions in good working order. But if it makes sense to invest so much time and effort into our bodies and our stuff, do we invest a similar kind of effort into caring for our spirit?

In today’s word from 1 Timothy Chapter 4, the Apostle Paul advises his protégé Timothy in a way that seems so straightforward one wonders why it even needs to be said. And yet, because it’s so easy to focus on the outside while overlooking the inside, it ends up being an important reminder. “Train yourself to be godly,” Paul says. “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Tim. 4:7-8)

Now, as we’ve been discussing in our current “Practicing the Way” emphasis, “training for godliness” can look different for each of us, because each of us has a unique relationship with God. But as we’ve said repeatedly, nobody drifts into godliness by accident. And so, my question for this morning is, “How are you going to train today?” And then my word of encouragement—to borrow a slogan from the world of advertising—is “Just do it.”

May God use our training to draw us closer to Himself. Amen.