Contents
MAKING PRAYER THE FIRST WORK OF THE CHURCH
(Acts 1:12-15), “12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, … Continue reading
WALK A LITTLE PLAINER DADDY
(I. Timothy 4:12b), “…be thou an example…” WALK A LITTLE PLAINER DADDY “Walk a little plainer, Daddy,” Said a little boy so frail. “I’m following in your footsteps And I don’t want to fail. Sometimes your steps are very plain; … Continue reading
BEING A CHRISTIAN AMERICAN
BEING A CHRISTIAN AMERICAN (I. Peter 2:11-15), “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as … Continue reading
BEING AN EXAMPLE TO BELIEVERS
(I. Timothy 4:12), “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” The communist government in China several years ago commissioned … Continue reading
A TRIUMPHANT FAITH
(Hebrews 11:22), “By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.” Someone once said: “To have faith is a great tribute to any man. However, … Continue reading
EXERCISING UNTO GODLINESS
“But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” (I. Timothy 4:7-8)
One of the greatest truths in the Bible that we as Christians need to learn is that, “Godly Christians are not born, they are made. They are made just like anything else in this world, through hard work, diligence, and dedication.
In order to excel in godliness, we must be completely dedicated to the exercise of godliness. We must be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept constructive criticism and be willing to change.
Without a total one hundred percent dedication, we won’t be able to do this
This is the truth that Paul is conveying in the above passage.
The word Paul uses for exercise comes from the Greek word from which we get our words for “gymnasium” and “gymnastics.”
It means to train or to exercise. This word conveys the idea of the rigorous, strenuous, self-sacrificing training that an athlete undergoes to prepare themselves for an athletic event.
Just as any athlete must practice a rigorous, strenuous, self-sacrificing, training program to prepare themselves to compete, even so, must Christians practice a rigorous, strenuous, and self-sacrificial training, in order to prepare themselves unto godliness. Godliness is the result of dedication and discipline. One author wrote, “No horse gets anywhere until he is harnessed. No stream or gas drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined.”
Harry Browne wrote, “Everything you want in life has a price connected to it. There’s a price to pay if you want to make things better, a price to pay just for leaving things as they are, a price for everything.” Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the highroad to godliness because nothing is ever achieved in the Christian life without discipline.
If you will give yourself to disciplining yourself in godliness your life will be richly blessed. You will grow in spiritual maturity, contentment, intimacy with God, being useful in the service of God, in faith, in God’s provision and care, and also the eternal rewards that you will receive at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The benefits you will receive from exercising yourself unto godliness through self-discipline are without measure and what you have to sacrifice is small in comparison to what you will receive
I want to challenge you to exercise yourself unto godliness. (Pastor Allen Jackson)