1 Timothy 4:7-9 - "Discipline Yourself for the Purpose of Godliness"

Today is an especially exciting Pastor’s Chat because we havereached a significant milestone. Five and a half years ago, during COVID, Ibegan these Pastor’s Chats to encourage people—many of whom were stuck athome—to stay in God’s Word every day. Today marks the 2,000th Pastor’s Chat. Ican hardly believe how quickly the Lord has brought us to this point. Thank youso much for being a part of these five-minute devotionals from God’s Word, dayafter day, as we seek to grow together in our walk with the Lord. Iam convinced that we are at a crossroads in America—and really, at a crossroadsin the world. We are living in a time unlike anything we have ever experiencedbefore, with artificial intelligence, global unrest, and rapid cultural change.I believe, as never before, that we are living in the end times. We are in thefinal days of this church age. Jesus is coming again, and it is essential thatwe do all we can and be all we can for the glory of God. Becauseof that, it is necessary—absolutely necessary—for every believer to be growingin their faith.That has been the theme of what we’ve been studying. The ApostlePaul speaks clearly about this in Ephesians 4:15, where he says: “Butspeaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things unto Him who is thehead—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by whatevery joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every partdoes its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself inlove.” Twicein that passage Paul speaks of growth—spiritual growth. As we’ve said over thepast several weeks, spiritual maturity is not a destination; it is a daily,progressive journey, moving in the right direction toward Christlikeness. Now,the Apostle Paul also wrote to his young protégé Timothy, encouraging him inhis ministry. In 1 Timothy 4:7–9, he writes: “But have nothing to do with oldwives’ fables. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose ofgodliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness isprofitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of thatwhich is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.” Thatphrase—“discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness”—is what wewant to focus on over the next several days. What does that really mean? Remember,Paul was writing to Timothy, a young pastor living in a culture filled withfalse ideas, distractions, and spiritual noise—much like the world we live intoday. We are surrounded by social media, sports, constant news, and endlessinformation. As someone has wisely said, we are living in a day not of weaponsof mass destruction, but of weapons of mass distractions. We are easilydistracted from the very things that produce spiritual growth. May the Lordhelp us with that. Paultells Timothy to reject these worldly fables—empty stories, myths, andteachings that sound spiritual but have no power to change a life. They wastetime, stir emotions, and distract believers from what truly matters. Then Paulgives a clear command: “On the other hand, discipline yourself for thepurpose of godliness.”  What does itmean to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness? Over the nextseveral days, I want to share with you some things I have practiced over thelast 54 years of my Christian life—things I have tried to do daily todiscipline myself for godliness, because godliness impacts every area of my lifeand eternity. Thankyou again for being a part of these 2,000 Pastor’s Chats—some of you from thevery beginning. My prayer is that in the days ahead, as the Lord tarries Hiscoming, we will do those things that truly please Him, exercising ourselves forthe sake and ministry of godliness in our lives. Godbless! And may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.