… rather, train yourself to be godly.
Summary: Learning to train ourselves to be godly requires thinking about spiritual training in a whole new way.
I would love to sit down with Paul and talk about the history of the church so far. It would be interesting to hear his take on what he would categorize as “godless myths and old wives’ tales.”
Over the years, the church has had to deal with many different attacks on the truth of the Gospel. In Paul’s day, it was the Judaizers who insisted that Christians should submit to the old covenant laws of Moses. It is possible that mystery religions like Gnosticism were gnawing at the edges of Christianity even while Paul was alive.
What we learn from reading about Paul is that being a Christian doesn’t mean that life is without conflict. What it means is that as Christians, we deal with conflict differently than non-believers do.
If we are going to be effective representatives of God’s Kingdom here on earth, we need to be ready for anything. We need to be “in shape,” just like a fighter who is preparing for a match.
So what are we to do? How do we “train” ourselves to be godly?
If we use physical training as a model for godly training, there are some pointers we can pick up.
First, a fighter is careful about what they eat. Different fighters have different weight goals, but whatever their game is, they eat appropriately for the fight.
Second, a fighter in training is disciplined. They run to build up their cardio capacity, exercising and training to develop strength and muscle memory. When they step into the ring or onto the mat, they don’t have time to think about what they are going to do. The body has to be trained to operate without thinking.
Third, a fighter in training takes direction. The coach is someone who knows things about the fighter that they themselves don’t see. The coach sees the patterns in the fighter’s technique that leave him open to attack. He trains the fighter diligently for the day when he goes into battle.
As Christians, we need to be in God’s Word every day. We need to know the Bible inside and out. Doing battle with Satan requires confidence that we know God’s Word and his promises.
We need to practice dealing with attacks from within. When anger wells up, we punch back with love (agapē). When impatience rears its head, we slow down and walk, breathing deeply. When injustice causes pain, we turn that pain over to Jesus.
Which brings us to the Coach.
God gives each one of us his Holy Spirit. We do well to listen to what he tells us.
Application: Train for Jesus every day.
Food for Thought: How does training ourselves to be godly change our lives?
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