Exercise yourself with godliness

But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.
- 1 Timothy 4v7

We all know the benefits of exercise. Even if we don’t do it, we know we should. If we want to improve our physical health and well being we must be disciplined enough to exercise our bodies. There are no tricks or gimmicks that are going to work. Energy tablets and power drinks are only distractions.

Paul writes of the latter days when false teachers are going to come along and tell us all kinds of gimmicks are going to make us godly. Don’t do this or that and you will be godly. In essence this kind of stuff it rubbish, a bunch of old wives’ fables, even profane. Who are we to prohibit things that God has created for us? Paul uses the example of marriage and foods here, but he also says, ‘For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.’

Clearly Paul is not talking about sinful activities. He is talking about foolish additions that do nothing to make us godly. There is one way to develop godliness. It is not with some kind of spiritual power drink, it is not by taking spiritual vitamins, it is not by sanctimonious self deprivation. Godliness comes with exercise.

Exercise means just what it sounds like. It was used to describe training for the Olympic Games. Exercise is not easy. It is hard work, it is tiring, it requires discipline, and it never comes without pain. Exercise hurts, and whenever you exercise new ‘spiritual muscles’ it hurts again.

For an athlete to stay fit he must keep exercising. To win the competition he must keep finding ways to push his body. For the Christian to develop godliness he too must keep exercising. When opposition comes our way we can either roll over and play dead or we can grab the opportunity to exercise godliness.

Marathoners speak of hitting the wall in training. It is the point when you just can’t go any further. The training is too much, you just can’t do it. But, to succeed you have to push on through the wall. You work through the pain for the ultimate goal of getting to the finish line.

There come times when we all hit the wall spiritually. That is when the call to exercise if difficult. Do we quit? Do we stop the training and leave the race? Or do we press on, exercising new muscles of godliness?

If I want to be godly there is a way – don’t hope for a shortcut, don’t look for a miracle, and don’t try to get it by osmosis.

Exercise. No pain no gain. Push on through the wall. As verse nine says ‘godliness is profitable for all things.’