Joel M Bradshaw

….train yourself for godliness; 8for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.–1 Timothy 4

The Greek word for train is gymnaze and is related to the word translated today as gymnasium. People who wish to lose weight and be in better shape have to make intentional daily choices about what goes into their body and how active the are. Even a simple consistent tracking of calories and steps can lead to good results. What a world we live in where both can be easily tracked via an app on your phone!

I like Paul’s words about value here. The Greek speaks of profit. Bodily exercise having little profit, but godliness profitable for everything. In our body-conscious, image-driven world, many find their value in their appearance. The number on the scale or the on the clothing tag means far too much for people. Monday mornings are when I step on the bathroom scale, so this is comes to mind!

Your health journey has value for this life and for happier doctor’s visits. But you could have the body that men admire and women adore and yet still be an untrained wretch when it comes to godliness. If you prioritize the things of God you will also be convicted regarding stewardship of your physical body, so it really doesn’t work in reverse. You truly can’t be caring about godliness training and uncaring about physical things. The physical things just are less profitable ultimately.

I once met with a nutritionist and she encouraged me about lifestyle change. Some things needed to start in my journey and others needed to stop. So let me pose that to you regarding your godliness training. What parts of your life require intentionality? I’ll list categories here. Hopefully I’ve recorded the entirety that is you.

1. THOUGHTS
2. EMOTIONS
3. ATTITUDES
4. MOTIVATIONS
5. WORDS
6. ACTIONS

What needs to stop in each of these areas in order to pursue godliness? What needs to start?

Going to the gym is great. But it’s far too easy to have a gym membership, but never go. Godliness is a training you simply cannot escape.–JMB