“Train yourself to be godly. 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.” (I Timothy 4:7b, 8)
Apostle Paul is writing to his spiritual son, Timothy - urging him to focus on ‘godliness’. Timothy was personally responsible for his progress in godliness. Train also means to “exercise” or “discipline” What does this training require? It requires...
1. Decisiveness.
2. Dedication
3. Discipline
4. Destination
Decisive means “having the power to decide; conclusive,” and “characterized by decision and firmness; resolute.” It has been said that decisiveness is “choosing to do what is right based on accurate facts, wise counsel, and clearly defined goals.” How can we make good decisions? First, we need to always put God and His kingdom first (Matthew 6:33). Joshua reminded the people of Israel of the necessity of choosing sides concerning their worship, and he clearly stated his decision: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).
On Mount Carmel, as the prophet Elijah confronted Ahab and the prophets of Baal, he addressed the fence-sitting, indecisive Israelites: “Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.’ But the people said nothing” (1 Kings 18:21). Jesus warned us that “no one can serve two masters” (Mathew 6:24). You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:24). Second, we need to have a thorough knowledge of the Word of God so that our decisions will be based on truth and not on personal interest and inclinations. We must always ask, “What does the Scripture say?” (Romans 4:3). Third, we need to seek wise counsel. Scripture says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel” (Proverbs 12:15; cf. 11:14; 15:22; 19:20).
In God's kingdom and in His vocabulary “dedication” is an important feature. It is serious stuff to God, and it is serious stuff to God's people. A Christian is a saint and that means that he is one who is set apart. The Scriptures will teach us that God desires us to commit ourselves and our ways to Him ... our greatest success and joy comes only with a great commitment to Him! A committed dedicated life begins with a primary decision. If one chooses to dedicate his life to any field regardless of the field of endeavor a primary decision must be made. Joshua told the people of his day, " . . . Choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell . . . And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey." (Joshua 24:15, 24) Finally, we need to keep clearly in view the destination we have in mind. “Decisiveness is focusing on our destination, rather than focusing on distractions.”
This “discipline” is the training that is needed for the unhindered pursuit of God’s will and purposes. Discipline puts into daily practice our commitment to live a godly life. It begins in the mind. “Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).This inner transformation takes place as we memorize, meditate, and put into daily practice the precious truths of the Bible. We are justified instantly by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. But justification and sanctification are completely different. We have spent a life time developing patterns of sinful attitudes, thinking and behaviors. These habits will not be broken and replaced with godly behavior and thinking without commitment and discipline.
Discipline is that determined effort on our part that corrects molds and perfects the character of a person. Holy character does not come all at once, but over a lifetime. Old sinful habits and patterns of behavior and thinking are changed as we form new habits of obedience to the will of God. As we put these new attitudes and behaviors into practice over a period of time we form new patterns of thinking and behavior. It then becomes easier and easier to live a life that is pleasing to God. We are responsible to put into action a plan for daily Bible reading, study, prayer, etc. The Holy Spirit can then apply to our inner person the Scriptures we have learned. We have to do our part by disciplining ourselves to study and meditate on the Word of God. If you will not discipline yourself to get into God’s Word you will not grow in Christ-likeness. No one else can do that for you.
Just as physical exercise is good for the body, the apostle Paul tells us our mind, emotions, will and spiritual life needs vigorous exercise as well. Just as the Greek athlete would discipline himself with vigorous exercise in order to win the athletic games, we are exhorted to exercise in such as way as to excel in godliness. Our goal is the pursuit of holiness. It is nothing less than to be presented to God the Father whole and complete, perfect, in Jesus Christ. The first reason cultivating self-discipline is important because God commands it. “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” In the Greek, this is an imperative. God doesn’t give us 2 options – discipline yourself – Just as physical exercise is good for the body, the apostle Paul tells us our mind, emotions, will and spiritual life needs vigorous exercise as well. Discipline is something in which both God and you must be involved. “Self-control” is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:23).
The second reason is given to us right in the text, “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” The next verse tells us “it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” It has immediate pay offs in this life, and eternal rewards. Just as the Greek athlete would discipline himself with vigorous exercise in order to win the athletic games, we are exhorted to exercise in Spiritual way as to excel in godliness. Discipline means keeping your eyes on the goal. The goal is fairly clear: “godliness” When we keep in mind of the ultimate goal we realize the pursuit is worthwhile. Our goal is the pursuit of holiness. It is nothing less than to be presented to God the Father whole and complete, perfect, in Jesus Christ.
The word discipline has disappeared from our minds, our mouths, our pulpits, and our culture. And yet, there is no other way to attain godliness; discipline is the path to godliness. Godliness is the goal, the motivation. Discipline is the means to that end. Godliness is another word for “holiness” or “Christ likeness.” Godly people are disciplined people. Godliness is a God ward attitude that does what pleases the Lord. It adheres to the teachings of Jesus and flows from the knowledge of truth as revealed in Scripture (Titus 1:1). Therefore, we must know what God has said, what He desires, and what He expects of us regarding our character and conduct.
We can hardly overstate the importance of integrity to a generation of believers so much like the world in ethical conduct. But integrity’s benefits—character, a clear conscience, deep intimacy with God—argue its importance. We must let God’s Word draw our lines of conduct. Our speech and actions must be intentionally true (Proverbs 12:22; Ephesians 4:15), backed by the courage to keep our word and stand up for our convictions (Psalm 15:4). An old saying sums it up: “Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.” None of us is inherently righteous, so Paul’s instructions regarding spiritual discipline in 1 Timothy 4:7-8 take on personal urgency: “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.”
Remember that discipline is about training, a process that must be repeated, perfected, and continued. But, the payoffs cannot be matched! Discipline is an ongoing process, not a quick fix. It’s a lifetime process. Discipline means managing your time in line with your goals. The goal of godliness demands that you spend time each day alone with God in His Word and prayer. Read the biographies of Heroes of faith like Abraham Joseph, Daniel, Paul, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Bunyan, Owen, Whitefield, Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, Spurgeon, and George Muller. In every case, you will find that these were disciplined men. They never could have accomplished all that they did without being disciplined.
Discipline is that determined effort on our part that corrects moulds and perfects the character of a person. Holy character does not come all at once, but over a lifetime. Discipline involves hard work. And yet, like it or not, discipline is essential for godliness. And godliness is essential because eternity is certain. There are no shortcuts, no easy, effortless ways to godliness. But if you have fixed your hope on the living God who is the Savior, can you do anything less than discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness? Discipline is not opposed to the grace of God. Many people resist discipline by saying, “That’s legalistic!” It can become legalistic if your motive is wrong. And discipline, though it sounds restrictive, is the only way to true freedom.
God didn’t create us to lazy. God didn’t create us to lack obedience and commitment. Our free choice pushes us to that. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “God has given us a spirit of discipline.” Disciplining yourself for godliness requires a willingness to go outside of your comfort zone and to make a commitment to live a godly life. Disciplining yourself for godliness begins in the mind. You must set your mind to it. A pure mind is impossible if you mindlessly watch and read wrong things.
Without a mindset on glorifying God, your efforts at discipline will lead to nothing more than empty pursuits. We must commit our minds to God’s word if we are going to be successful at disciplining ourselves for godliness. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, discipline and self-control are very closely related. In verse 27 Paul gives us the meaning of discipline. It is to subordinate our fleshly desires to the will of God. It is to control your body, so that you make it do what it ought to do, rather than what it wants to do. So, to sum up, discipline is training yourself to do the right thing when you don’t feel like it. To be all God wants you to be, put some holy sweat into your relationships. Develop the divine awareness that sustained Joseph: “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). Relationships are not optional (Hebrews 10:25); they enable us to develop into what God wants us to be and most effectively learn and live God’s truth.
Galatians 5:22-23 says, “The fruit of the Spirit is self-control.” If you can’t control self…self will control you. Our goal is to be like Jesus. Discipline is helping us achieve our Christ like spirit, mind, heart, character…everything. Jesus was disciplined. His whole purpose on coming to the earth was to live and die for you and me. Our goal is to be like Jesus. “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” (Hebrews 12) Discipline puts into daily practice our commitment to live a godly life. It begins in the mind. “Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). This inner transformation takes place as we memorize, meditate, and put into daily practice the precious truths of the Bible.
Jesus said, in Luke 9:23 “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” Do you want to become a strong, mature believer? Then you must discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. There are no shortcuts. No one will ever become godly who will not discipline himself. God basically uses three things to make us holy: people, circumstances, and spiritual disciplines. He uses people. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). Sometimes God will use your friends to exhort you, or inspire you, or motivate you to Christ like living. Sometimes He will use your enemies to reveal sin in your life that must be confessed and forsaken. He also uses circumstances as God takes us through trials, tribulations, sufferings, illnesses, and financial pressures in order to develop character in our lives. But God also uses the spiritual disciplines. However, the spiritual disciplines are really the only one that we have much control over. This “discipline” is the training that is needed for the unhindered pursuit of God’s will and purposes.
We usually don’t control much about our circumstances and the people in our lives, but we can control whether we will engage in a disciplined life or not. True holiness begins and ends with living for the glory of God, whereas selfishness begins and ends with living for the glory of self. Only God can make us holy. Self-discipline causes us to be brought to God on a regular and consistent basis so that He can sanctify us. Self-discipline is immensely important, because without it, we will not be putting ourselves in the path where we will meet God, who alone can sanctify us. Discipline for godliness requires that we make reading, studying, and meditating on Scripture a priority. It means we say no to sinful desires and impulses in order to obey the Lord. The result will be a life transformed into Christ likeness, a clear conscience, and a spirit that is joyful and peaceful. In fact, the benefits extend even further. This earthly life is a mere breath in time, but godliness goes with us into heaven and leads to the eternal rewards of a life lived fully for Christ.
