For What Do You Discipline Yourself?

 “But have nothing to do with worldly fables fir only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:7-8. NASB)

Paul taught Timothy in this passage when Timothy was experiencing opposition to his teaching of God’s way and the Gospel. He told him to have nothing to do with worldly fables – stories and inventions of the human mind – but to discipline himself for the purpose of godliness. Paul said bodily discipline of little use; it can only be used on earth. Still better godliness is profitable for all things since it gives us promise here on earth and for our future life in God’s heaven.

Timothy faced ungodly people. These people sought to have followers and would say whatever it took to gain them. They tickled the ears of the people. These want-to be leaders seduced them to follow ungodly ways disguising it as godly doctrine, though it was what demons teach. Besides this, they told them not to marry and to abstain from eating certain foods. These self-important people were ungodly. They wanted followers for themselves more than anything and they had to be different from Jesus’ followers. These people even declared as unholy and unusable things God made for people to eat and use.

Are there people in our sphere who try to make themselves more important to gain followers and prestige? Are there people who try to make themselves more important than God by spouting what people want to hear? Do they declare things as good or bad contrary to God’s Word? This is why Paul exhorted Timothy to discipline himself for the purpose of godliness.

We may discipline ourselves for today and tomorrow while we live on earth, but what good will bodily discipline do for us in heaven when God gives us new bodies? If you are not a Christian, what good will bodily discipline do for you in hell when you will burn in unquenchable fire for eternity, but remain unconsumed? Godliness, Paul said, holds promise for the present life and the life to come. It is profitable now and for eternity.

This godliness Paul spoke of is reverence and respect for God lived out in our lives as obedience to Him because of our love for Him. Godliness comes from being in a relationship with God through prayer, study of the Bible, listening and heeding His teaching, and responding to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. It comes from a close relationship with God that makes us more Christ-like each day. As Paul said, as a Christian living in this world, earthly life is a toiling, striving, and even suffering reproach because we have fixed our hope on the living God who is the Savior, Preserver, Maintainer, and Deliverer of all men, especially of those who believe in Him.

When we seek the godliness of God, we put Him first. We have hope of our future with Him in heaven. As people who put their trust in Jesus Christ and who are growing toward holiness through the power of the Holy Spirit and our love for the Father, we will be able to stand strong.

Is there someone you look up to that seeks followers, but does not walk in God’s ways? Do not follow him or her. Instead, discipline yourself for godliness. Seek God’s will in His Word, stand strong for Him, grow in your faith, and look toward your hope. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33, NASB) Seek God. Grow in godly discipline. Then He will add these things – food, shelter, clothes - to you.

Godliness –

Is your discipline growing you toward godliness?

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

During this past month, I have been studying the book of James. His main theme is “faith without works is dead.” In essence, he said, “Actions speak louder than words.” The premise of this statement is that when a person becomes a Christian, a Jesus follower, he or she is renewed and is no longer led by his or her own desires (Titus 3:5). Because a person receives the indwelling of the Holy Spirit upon his or her profession of faith in Jesus Christ, the person has the desire of Christ within him or herself and the power to follow those godly desires. Jesus said in John 16:13, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own initiative.” Before this, John recorded Jesus in John 14:16-17,

I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. [NASB]

The Holy Spirit who comes to live in a Christian at the point of profession of faith creates a desire/will in the Christian to want what God wants and to do actions leading to godly living. These actions are the works that show the person’s faith in the world. They are the faith and works combination of which James spoke.

The godly desires within a believer, which come from the Holy Spirit, are characteristics of God like righteousness, love, kindness, goodness, love, peace, patience, and self-control (see more in Galatians 5:22-23). Believers act out these virtues or characteristics as love toward God and other people. Jesus taught that loving God and one’s neighbor as the two greatest commandments in Matthew 22:37-40. Faith acted out as love toward God and neighbor’s develops godly characteristics in a believer. Paul told the Philippian Christians in Philippians 2:13, “It is God who is at work in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” God puts the desires of His heart into the hearts of Christians to do good works through the Holy Spirit. Christians do good works because of the impelling of the Holy Spirit and out of love for God for providing salvation through Jesus Christ His Son. Just as Jesus taught His followers to love God and their neighbor, Paul taught the Corinthian Christians in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” He meant keep showing God’s love in action by caring for the poor, widow, and orphan. Show compassion and give with a grateful heart. John said in 1 John 3:18 that a Christian should not just love with word and tongue, but in deed and truth. This is the heart of what James taught. The love God put into each believer should be visible and shared with other people as a testimony of the believer’s faith and love for God and their neighbors.

From these and many other Bible passages, Christians learn they are to follow Jesus by enacting His love toward other people. God’s love for us impels us to love Him and other people. His Holy Spirit within us convicts and empowers us to love people. Good deed for other people express this love towards them – taking care of the widow, orphan, and poor, clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering the homeless, and showing mercy to all people. Jesus taught that because we have done this for other people, we have done it for Him (Matthew 25:35-40). Paul instructed Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 to tell the believers, “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share.” He said in Titus 3:14, “Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so they will not be unfruitful.” God’s love does not stop or dry up after being shown once. He continues to have compassion, love, and mercy upon people. God expects that of His children, too.

Christians do good works for several reasons – to show the world God’s love, to obey God’s commandments of loving Him and our neighbors, because the Holy Spirit impels Christians to godliness, and because believers cannot help but love God because of what He did for us – saved us from death and our sins. The final reason we should do good works is that God will judge and reward us for our actions. God is righteous and His righteousness requires justice and judgment. He will judge every person, including His children, and He will mete out reward and punishment based on our actions, words, and thoughts. Hebrews 6:10 says, “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.” For those who have shown God’s love in action, word, and thought, God will give reward. These are the reasons we Christians love people and God, either in obedience or by impelling. Not to love leads to lack of growth in Christlikeness and leads to judgment.

So walk in the ways of Jesus Christ. God will give you all grace to abound in abundance for every good deed (1 Corinthians 9:8). What keeps you from becoming like Christ and performing godly deeds?

Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. 1 Timothy 6:18-19 [NASB]