8/2/2019 Breaking a Spiritual Sweat
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Breaking a Spiritual Sweat
1 Timothy 4:7-8
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.
Godly living is not a sport; it is hard work. It is not
something you do when you feel like it, or if
you have some spare time for it, or if you are naturally good at
it.
Paul said to train yourself for godliness. The word train is
gumnazo,from which we get our
word gymnasium. That is, Paul was saying to his son in the
faith, "Timothy, go into the
gymnasium of the Word and work up a sweat. In fact, if you're
not breaking a spiritual sweat,
you're probably not working at it hard enough."
Later in the same paragraph, Paul tells Timothy that this
godliness is something for which we
labor and strive (1 Timothy 4:10). The Greek word forlaboris the
root of our word agonize.
ImaginePaul speaks of gaining godliness with words like
"agonizing" and "training," just as
an athlete would train and push himself to run a race. Actually,
Paul uses that very analogy in
a different letter wherein he says, "Do you not know that in a
race all the runners compete, but
only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it"
(1 Corinthians 9:24). Consequently, godliness only comes as we
train, agonize, and then run
with all our strength.
I have heard people say, "I don't read the Bible because it's
too hard to understand"; "I don't
pray like I ought to because that has never come easy for me";
"I'd like to memorize Scripture
but it takes forever." Christian growth requires spiritual
sweat!
One of the greatest running backs in NFL history died at the age
of forty-five. Walter Payton's
skill and ability when he received the ball in his hands was
legendary. When he retired after
the 1987 season, he was the all-time leader in rushing yards.
Though his on-field exploits
impressed his fellow players, it was his off-season training
which elevated him to iconic status
in their eyes. Besides weight lifting, his daily routine
included running near the Pearl River in
Mississippi. He ran through the sand (65 yards of beach) or up
the levee (a 45-degree slope).
For his legacy, Payton did not want his statistics to be the
focus, impressive as they were. "I
want to be remembered," he said, "for giving it my all."
May we be men and women who "give it our all" for something far
more lasting than a football
gamelet's train, and agonize, and run after, and with
godliness!
8/2/2019 Breaking a Spiritual Sweat
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DO YOU REALLY LOVE GOD?
St. Augustine asked his followers if they really loved God. "Do
you love Him with all your
heart, soul, mind and strength?" he asked. Then he told a story
as a way to discover the
answer. Suppose God came to a man and said, "The world and all
that is in it is yours. I will
give you perfect health. Whatever your heart desires is yours. I
will even do away with sin and
death and enable you to live forever." Sounds good, doesn't it?
The whole world at yourdisposalno sin, eternal life? Too good,
perhaps. "There is only one thing you will not have,"
God would say in this imaginary exchange. "You will never see My
face. The choice is yours. I
will respect your wish."
Augustine said if there were a quiver in a person's heart at the
words "you will never see My
face," it is quite possible that he might really love God. If a
man decided to turn away from all
that the world could offer for the joy of seeing God's face, his
love might be true. Sounds like a
pretty good test to me!
The only satisfaction to be found in this life is found in the
love of God. We can choose Himthrough His Son Jesus Christ and know
Him as we are known. Only then does satisfaction
comebut then, it comes from everywhere. Because when the soul is
satisfied, all the other
things in life may be enjoyed for what they are: gifts from a
God who is unchanging and good,
and whose love endures forever.
