Exercise Godliness

“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.  But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.  For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.”  I Timothy 4:6-8

Paul had been encouraging Timothy, his young protege, to remind his congregation in Ephesus to dismiss false doctrine from those who would attempt to confuse and lead them away from the truth of the gospel.  This, sometimes difficult and confrontational leadership, is the kind of leadership that all churches whose mission is based on the gospel of Jesus Christ should have.  It is tough being a pastor because, as they say, you can’t please everybody.  However, everybody doesn’t need pleasing.  God is the One whom pastors and all Christians should be concerned about pleasing.  Some church members get their “shorts all in a wad” because they feel like the pastor didn’t give them the attention that they thought they should have.  Give me a break!  People should walk a mile in his shoes, and then their attitude would drastically change.

It is the task of the minister of the gospel to continually remind people of, because we tend to forget, what scripture has taught us about faith and correct doctrine.  Upon these reminders, folks can rest and rely on the truth and not be deceived by those, who, working for Satan, attempt to distort God’s truth.  If we are well-acquainted with God’s word, the real thing, then we won’t be deceived by a counterfeit gospel.  Any preacher who can reinforce the gospel of Christ in his preaching is a good minister of Jesus Christ.  This kind of faith and perseverance only come through study and prayer.

Paul also warned Timothy to be careful not to rely on profane, that is, irreverent ideas or policies or old wives’ tales, which are stories from years ago that aren’t true but have been passed down from generation to generation and have been believed as the truth.  They, whoever they are, say that if a lie is told often enough, people believe it as the truth.  I suppose the biggest lie that is told concerning salvation is that if one can do enough “good” works, that is, if one’s good works surpass one’s bad works, then he or she will make it to heaven.  It is too bad that an awful lot of people believe this.  That’s why it is so important to get the truth of the gospel into the ears of the folks who believe good works can save them.  Rather than considering these falsehoods and spending time researching them, Paul advised Timothy to spend his time in exercising godliness, that is, leave the lies alone and only search for God’s truth.

To exercise godliness requires that one be “fit” in the word of God.  Spend time exercising one’s fingers through the pages of the Bible, exercise the eyes in reading the word and the mind in study, prayer, and research.  Keep digging through the word to find all of its truth.  In comparison, bodily exercise, while it is beneficial for one’s health, vitality, and mental alertness, does not really profit one for eternity.  This earthly body that we work so hard to keep in shape will eventually die regardless of a very healthy lifestyle.  Bodily exercise and eating right can help us in the here and now but not in eternity.  Matter of fact, too much emphasis on the physical body, becoming a fanatic on exercise and nutrition, can distract or even harm our attention to the spiritual side of life, causing us to ignore what’s really important, that is, our relationship with our Creator who made these bodies.  Making a godly life the top priority in our lives is beneficial for both now and for eternity.