Training for Godliness

“Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promises for the present life and also for the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7-8 ESV

Devotion

Have you ever met someone in the midst of your busy day-to-day life and left wishing you had mentioned something to them about Jesus, or shown an intentional act of love that comes from God, or even offered to pray with them?

Despite our best efforts, we all experience this from time to time. It’s driving by someone whose car has broken down on the side of the road, and as you go by, looking in the rearview mirror, you tell yourself that someone else will stop. It’s standing in line at the grocery store looking at your phone while you hear the couple in front of you discussing their financial struggles and maybe see them place some items back.

Maybe offering to help opens a conversation that leads to the hope we have in Jesus. Maybe acknowledging you are struggling opens a conversation that leads to the hope we have in Jesus. God brings us all many opportunities every single day to participate in his work and to have relationships with one another through the body of Christ. In order for us to serve Christ, we not only have to be aware of these opportunities, we have to train for them.

Even in my work as a pastor serving Christ in our community, I can miss these opportunities if I’m not training myself in the godliness Paul’s talking about to Timothy. I was leaving a ministry one afternoon in OKC to go to another service opportunity a couple hours later. In between these opportunities, I received a phone call from my father-in-law. His AC was out and he was out of town; a well-known AC repair company was sending someone over. He asked if I could go meet them at his house. I told him I could go since I had a little free time at that moment, but I was thinking about where I needed to be later, and this seemed to be almost a burden.

It was almost a missed opportunity. The point of training for godliness as Paul commands Timothy to do is that when we are present, we are trained, prepared and ready at any moment to give a reason for the hope we have in the promises of this life and the one to come in Christ.

So, a conversation started with the AC technician, and before long, a more serious conversation grew. I found out he is a son of a pastor, so I asked if he could offer me advice on raising a child from his perspective. Soon, all our conversation was centered on Christ. Just before he left, I could tell he looked like he was carrying a heavy burden—he said he was going through a really difficult time in his personal life. He shared those details with me and asked if I would pray for him, and I did. He was emotional because before we met, he was struggling with all the weight of these circumstances, but now he felt restored in his hope with Christ. He felt this situation was not a coincidence and was thankful God brought it together. I am thankful God did, too! We exchanged information, and I look forward to seeing him again.

Training for godliness is not optional, and it also isn’t self-centered piety. We ought to pursue training for godliness because we love God, and through our desire to love him, learn from him, and understand him, we can live according to his ways. This training for godliness is Christ-centered as it holds the promises of this present life and the one to come, where we can then see the opportunities God has brought before us to serve him and others in the full light of Christ.

Paul compares training for godliness to bodily training, or going to the gym to work out, which probably wasn’t a thing 2,000 years ago like it is to us today (I don’t think crossfit was around!). I don’t know how you feel, but I love to work out. For most of my life and even today, you can find me in the gym most mornings. I love the commitment, the discipline, the drive to push the body against its will to give in, pushing it to exhaustion, not quitting, only to get better each day both mentally and physically.

The only way I can be prepared for an opportunity to share Christ with others is to train by spending time with him. Reading the Bible every day, praying in relationship with him, and diving into community with others leads us to be “iron sharpening iron” and prepares us for godliness.

I’m motivated to work out every day because I love it. I love the structure and discipline it takes and because it has some value to me—I stay somewhat healthy and in shape. In Paul’s terms, godliness is the structure of conduct: love, faith, purity. So, likewise, I train for godliness because I love God, I love his ways, his structure, his faithfulness even when I’m unfaithful, his grace, and his truth.

I desire to have a relationship with Jesus, and learn, pray, and have life with him because without him, there is no life. It takes the same form of discipline as it does to work out consistently. But unlike the bodily training, training for godliness is of value in every way: it holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.

My challenge for you is to start training for godliness. I know there’s fear and discomfort in it, but in my experience, it is worth everything.

PRAYER

Father, thank you! Thank you for your faithfulness, even when mine falters. Thank you for the mystery of your glory that was revealed to us through your son. By your grace, we find your holy love in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I seek your mercy and forgiveness as I falter and serve you, knowing I cannot earn merit with you without Jesus. I ask that I may surrender all I am in order to be filled with Christ’s righteousness. I ask that I may train in godliness because I love you. I wish to honor you by giving you all I am because you gave all you were for me. May I be trained by your Holy Spirit in the ways of grace and holy love, in the fruitful knowledge of our Lord and Savior, to be used by you in order to bring you glory. I ask as a humble servant that these things may increase in me. In your holy name, amen.

Gene Carlsward

Pastor of Community Outreach

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