As Paul the
apostle is giving instructions to Timothy, his “son in the
faith”, he told him to remind the church members in Ephesus of
“the words of faith and of good doctrine” which he had
“attained”. Paul instructed him to “refuse profane
and old wives' fables”, and that he should “exercise”
himself “rather unto godliness”. In chapter four and verse
eight of his letter to Timothy, Paul continued the idea of “exercise”
as he shared with Timothy the benefits of both “bodily exercise”
and “godliness” where we read:
For bodily
exercise profits little: but godliness is profitable unto all things,
having
promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
The
verse begins, “For bodily exercise profits little: but
godliness is profitable unto all things,...” Paul
began with the word, “For”
which means “because, indeed, no doubt or seeing” “bodily”
or “pertaining to the body” “exercise”
which is the Greek word “gymnasia” and means “the training of
the body whether through physical exertion or restraint” “profits
little” or “has a small,
tiny, light or slight benefit, advantage or payment”. In other
words, there is a small advantage or benefit to exercising the
physical body, “but”
which is the disassociation conjunction that means what is about to
be stated takes precedence over what was previously shared,
“godliness” which
is “reverence, respect and piety towards God” “is
profitable” or “helpful,
serviceable and advantageous” “unto all things”
which means “each, every and all things both individually and
collectively”. “Godliness”
supersedes and trumps any exercising of the physical body we may do
because it applies to every area of our lives rather than just
physical ones.
The verse
continues, “...having promise of the life that now is, and of
that which is to come.” Paul went on to add, “having
promise” or “holding on and possessing an announcement or
declaration” “of the life” which refers to “life real
and genuine, active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the
portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ,
but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions”
“that now is” or “at this present time” “and of
that which is to come” which refers to the life “that is
about to be, intended and in mind”. “Godliness” not only
benefits us in the life which we are living now, but it will be our
great advantage in the life that is planned and intended for us as
well.
As we take the
time to think about Paul's words, let us realize the value he placed
on being “godly” or “reverent, respectful and pious
towards God”. We may be inclined to “exercise” our
physical bodies, but do we ever think about taking our “godliness”
to the gym? “Godliness” is basically “being like God”,
and each of us have the ability to examine ourselves in the mirror of
His word to determine whether we need a little exercise or not. While
we meditate upon the idea of “godliness”, let us allow the
Lord Jesus to reveal through His Holy Spirit any areas in our “godly”
lives that need some “exercise”, and as He exposes our
weaknesses, may we be found strong in our relationship with Him.
Next
time Paul talks about a “faithful saying”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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