"Discipline Yourself for Godliness" (The Apostle Paul to young Timothy)

Discipline is something that we American Christians find tough to cultivate. We live in a very self-indulgent culture. A culture that without let up screams at us, "If it feels good, do it!" But this is NOT the path to spiritual maturity that God has laid out for us. In 1 Timothy 4:7b-8, Paul tells Timothy (and by extension us, too!), "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." If we want to be godly - it will only happen as we train to be so. Merely TRYING is not enough - not nearly so!

In another passage, Paul as he so often does, refers to the athletic arena as he communicates to us a vital spiritual life truth. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 he writes, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." Chuck Swindoll makes some great comments on this passage. Listen to his insights . . .

"Those who run to win exercise restraint over their impulses and emotions and desires. Olympic hopefuls are this very day watching their diet, getting sufficient sleep, and training their bodies in just the right way for just the right amount of time. they are not fudging on anything that might hedge their performance on the track, on the bike, in the pool, or in the ring. And they measure the consequences of every impulse to judge whether it will assist them or hinder them from fulfilling the purpose of competition: winning the gold" (Strength of Character: 7 Essential Traits of a Remarkable Life, p. 43).


Let's purpose to be more disciplined as we all go for "the gold" - that of growing more like Jesus!

Thanks for listening,


pj