For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer. In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit 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. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. 1 Timothy 4:6-10The whole purpose behind this series is for us as believers to draw near to God, that we might receive the grace that He so freely gives His children. But in looking at all of the things we are to discipline ourselves in, one (namely me!) could quickly become overwhelmed....and start working really hard to "do" all of these things! But if that is all that comes of this...then I have really missed the boat!
The purpose of these disciplines is godliness. It is a firm grounding in who God is, what He has already said through His word, and the peace that comes from knowing the truth. In a time where there were continual "worldly fables fit only for old women", the message in these verses is to pursue something other.
Pursue something other than the silly things the world tells you.
Pursue the God who can be found and who is actively involved in every part of the day to day.
Pursue the eternal things...the ones that we will carry with us during our SHORT time here, and throughout all eternity.
Godly discipline prepares our hearts, and minds for what we will be doing throughout all eternity. It is the slightest taste of the rest we will have when we are at His feet. Reading God's word, and finding out more of who He is, now, will prepare us better to praise Him then!
So this series is not meant to become a checklist of righteousness.
There is NO righteousness apart from Christ.
If you complete all of these things every day for the rest of your life, but do not have a saving faith in Christ...then it was all in vain. These spiritual disciplines are simply avenues for God to reveal Himself to us. When we skimp on these areas of our lives, we are the only ones missing out. We are missing out on a greater portion of our Father. We are missing out on a deeper intimacy with the very Creator of the universe. We are missing out on the merciful God who saves us by His grace, and brings us into His family as concurrent heirs with Christ.
Living a life lacking in these disciplines does not disqualify anyone from an eternity in heaven. If you believe that Christ died and paid the penalty for your sin...then that is taken care of.
But you are, I am, missing out on the fullness of life that could be ours if we knew our Father more.
Lord, help us to desire to live a life of discipline. Not so that we can check anything off, and not so that we can try and add anything to our salvation (that You have already taken care of). Help us to desire to be disciplined so that we will be more firmly rooted in who You are, and who You have created us to be. Help us to live in discipline so that we might have a deeper understanding of You and Your ways, thus bringing You far greater glory. Lord, help us to do these things with a pure heart to know You more.
1 comments:
Love this "pursue the God who can be found." Isn't that a miracle? We can draw near to God and He will draw near to us. Blessed.
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