Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “A Fresh Encounter”
Our Bible verse for today: “Rather, train yourself in godliness, for the training of the body has a limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7-8 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Train yourself for godliness.”
I read an interesting statement this morning that caused me to appreciate all over again the importance of spiritual maturity and God-given wisdom. The statement reads, “Not every problem has only one solution. Wisdom is required: God’s Spirit must do the leading.”
The fact is that life is complicated, and often it’s not easy to discern the best course of action in any given situation. Many times there is more than one right answer and it can be tough to decide what choice to make and which action to take.
This is why spiritual maturity is so important. It’s crucial for us to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is one of the reasons we cannot afford to be lazy and lukewarm in our faith, because when we are, we drift from God’s standards and become increasingly insensitive to the Spirit’s leading.
In 1 Timothy 4:7-8 Paul urges young Timothy (and us) to train ourselves in godliness. Just as an athlete intentionally and vigorously trains his or her body so they will be at their best for the physical challenge of athletic competition, so too we must train ourselves spiritually so we will remain in tip-top spiritual shape.
Training ourselves in godliness infers that we have a system or routine in place. That then requires intentional actions and the discipline to stick with it. And just as an athlete will monitor their progress and development and periodically make adjustments as needed, so too must we in our spiritual training.
Training ourselves in godliness leads to spiritual maturity and the Spirit-led ability to make wise decisions in the face of multiple choices. One of my personal life verses is Proverbs 3:5-6. In the NIV it reads:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
That passage teaches that once we have this Spirit-led maturity and sensitivity which comes grows out of spiritual training, we can depend on the Spirit to lead us as we make wise choices. We may not have specific step-by-step instructions from the Lord but because we have a heart that is fully surrendered to Him, and because we are familiar enough with His ways and therefore are sensitive to His quiet voice and gentle guidance, we can count on Him to lead us in the way He wants us to go.
I encourage you to continue training yourself in godliness.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 