“Training Our Minds for Godliness”


BIBLE READING: 1 Timothy 1-6
DISCUSSION                              
                When I was in college at International Bible College (currently Heritage Christian University), I took a health class.  One of the first assignments was to discover a passage of Scripture that had to do with exercising.  Of course, in my mischievous mind I immediately thought of I Timothy 4.8 “…bodily exercise profits little”.  Now before your get your feathers ruffled, I do understand that bodily exercise has a tremendous amount of value.  However, when we compare bodily exercise with spiritual mental training, as he does in I Timothy 4, the difference is clear.  Rather than train our physical bodies, we must make every effort to train our minds in godliness.  First, what is “godliness”?   In the original Greek, the word ‘godliness” means “holiness”.  So how do we train ourselves for holiness?  Well, that sort of training is not done in a gym or at your local YMCA, but rather it begins in your mind.  Paul tells us in Romans 12.2 to “not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind”.  So, the first step of this training process must begin with a desire, an effort, a decision to be more like God (or Godly like…inferring a Godliness).  This process comes from prayer, study and constant proper decision making in the real world.  Just like any habit, the more you do things that will promote godliness and holiness, the more it will become a part of your life.  Yes, it is important to take care of our physical bodies, however by involving ourselves in daily mental training in godliness, “holds a promise for the present life and for the life to come” (I Timothy 4.8).
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