Drinking In Godliness

Categories: Devotional,1 Timothy

Did you see the results of the latest “Most Popular Word Contest”? OK, I made that up. The big losers: “discipline” and “self-discipline.” I made that up too, but these words are neither popular in the modern world nor the church, even though the best selling book of all time (the Bible) likes them. It says that “if you want to drink in godliness then you better grab a cup of self-discipline.” OK, I made that up too, sort of.

But, when you lie in bed in the morning and say to yourself, “If I get up right now to pray it won’t be an authentic existential experience, so I’ll wait for the right time to do it.” That, my friend, is probably worldliness, not self-discipline.

A British translation of the Bible (J.B. Phillips) puts it this way: “take time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit” (1 Timothy 4:7). The late John Stott said there is nothing that evokes a godly life more than meditating on the Word of God.

So, to become godly, you need to get in good spiritual shape. And to do that, consider this for your workout routine: read, study, meditate, and obey God’s word.

Dr. David F. Wells, Distinguished Senior Research Professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, wrote in Christianity Today about “the lost art of meditation.” The fact that he wrote that article is proof that the lost art of meditation can be found.

Meditate on this: “take time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit” (1 Timothy 4:7). Get in shape.

Now that’s something to Celebrate!

Author: Toby Larson

Toby Larson leads Celebration International. He is a husband and father of 5. Whether he's teaching, hitting tennis balls, sailing a Hobie, serving in Asia, skiing on water or snow, Toby is passionate about the love of God and the love of life. Read more ...