Spiritual Training

“Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”-1 Timothy 4:7-8

I grew up playing football. I always loved it! I enjoyed the physicality of it, the running, the competition, the adrenaline! When I entered high school, my passion for the sport only grew in intensity. My football coaches knew the importance of training. They understood that if all of the athletes were to be prepared for the long season, it would take discipline in our diet, exercise, showing up, and mental toughness. So they ran us! They drilled us! They had us practice the plays again and again. We watched film regularly. Learning the playbook was non-negotiable. Weekly practices were essential. If you didn’t come to practice, you didn’t play in games. The coaches understood that if we were going to handle a full season, we as players would have to be committed to the training. Otherwise, we had a much higher risk of injury, giving up, or just not being competitive at all. Truthfully, as I look back to my sport days, I learned a lot about the value of perseverance, grit, practice, teamwork, consistency, toughness, and encouragement. I certainly learned the value of physical training. As Christians, do we realize the high value of spiritual training? I think we can far too readily forget or dismiss this key component to our growth in the Lord.

God, speaking through Paul, wisely commended every Christian to “…train yourself to be godly” (1 Tim. 4:7). Paul didn’t say, “…train yourself to be saved.” Our works don’t save us. We are saved by grace through faith alone (Eph. 2:8). However, every Christian is called to respond to Jesus’ saving work, and go into training! Paul went on further to explain that there is value in physical training. Most of us are aware of the benefits of physical training (stronger bones, better blood flow, relief of stress, lower cholesterol, etc.). The physical training of our bodies each day is good and smart. But 1 Timothy 4:8 tells us there’s something even more important: “…training for godliness is even better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” In other words, spiritual training is really, really valuable now and eternally! So, what does spiritual training look like practically?

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but let’s reflect on 5 spiritual disciplines that help us in spiritual training. God will grow us as we commit ourselves to them. Here we go:

1. Personal Bible Reading. If any of us is to grow spiritually, we need to know “The Playbook.” Thus, personal commitment to regularly read our Bible is key. I remember hearing this simple, wise advice a long time ago: “Pick a regular time and place to read your Bible, DAILY!” We all need God’s Word! And not just here and there - we need it daily! We must pick up our Bibles AND read them. “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light to my path.”-Ps. 119:105

2. Consistent Worship. This one seems so simple, yet so many people who say they want to follow Jesus don’t implement this practice. As Christians, our default needs to become gathering weekly with our church family to worship the Lord! So many Christians underestimate the value of steady, reliable, week-after-week worship gatherings. We’re called to this! We gather Sunday after Sunday to sing to the Lord, to pray, to remember Jesus is Lord, to actively hear God's Word preached, and to encourage one another to persevere! May each of us be committed to this. “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.”-Heb. 10:25

3. Ongoing Prayer. Jesus so clearly modeled the high value of prayer, of faithful communication with the Father. Scripture tells us that Jesus often withdrew for prayer (Lk. 5:16). It is invaluable that we learn to discipline ourselves in prayer. And the only way we will truly grow in prayer is to start praying! It’s helpful to remember that we can pray in the car (it’s alright to shut off the radio), we can pray in the bathroom, we can pray on a walk, we can pray…any time and place! But we must choose to do it and stay after it! “One day Jesus told His disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.”-Lk. 18:1

4. Steady Scripture Memorization. One of the most effective ways we can train ourselves in godliness, in being like our Lord, is by memorizing His Word - which is truth. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2). A major way to renew our thinking is to make God’s Word at home in our brains. There are a variety of ways to commit ourselves to memorizing Scripture (tackle one passage per month or week, make flashcards, write it on your mirror, etc.). Choose a way that works for you, and steadily keep at it! His word will accomplish what He wishes. “It is the same with My Word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”-Is. 55:11

5. Faithful Fellowship. We were designed for community. God intends for every Christ-follower to regularly come together to spur one another forward in relationship with Jesus. Gotquestions.org put it well: “As iron sharpens iron, in true Christian fellowship Christians sharpen one another’s faith and stir one another to exercise that faith in love and good works, all for God’s glory.” Thus, the importance of faithfully getting together with other believers - in study, prayer, conversation, serving - cannot be understated; fellowship truly matters. Each of us would be wise to regularly be a part of a Bible or book study, a men’s or women’s group, a small group…What’s key is that we stay in fellowship, even when it takes some sacrifice. “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.”-Heb. 10:24

God, help us remember our call to spiritual training for the sake of spiritual growth! Help us be disciplined, all for Your Name’s sake, Jesus! Amen.

Cheer up, friends!

-Scott