Getting in Spiritual Shape

“Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”—1 Timothy 4:7-9

As this year draws to a close and a New Year dawns, there is a bit of anxiety and hope. Anxiety means looking at the future with fear, and many fear what the New Year has in store. But on the other side is hope. Hope means an opportunity to change. We don’t have to stay the way we are. We can make ourselves better, in whatever way we define “better.” For some that means getting in physical shape and dropping a few of the holiday pounds that have been accumulating since Thanksgiving. We make vows for exercise regimens, committing ourselves to drop a size or two in the knowledge that spring is right around the corner. Physical exercise is important, but spiritual exercise is even better. As Paul said, “...while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way..."

The word for train in Greek is gymnazo, which means, “to train” and it’s where we get our word gymnasium, the place where we train, or get physically fit. Paul wants us to get in shape spiritually. Physical exercise is good because it helps prolong our quality of life on earth, but spiritual training has value not only today, but also for eternity. But, how do we get into spiritual shape? We practice the spiritual disciplines. What are the spiritual disciplines? There are several: Bible reading and study, prayer, worship, evangelism, fasting, meditation upon the Word, confession, scripture memorization, silence and solitude, and serving, just to name a few. When we practice these things, we are training ourselves to be godlier.

This past March, I was really out of shape. I knew that my physical health was in danger, so I committed myself to walk on a friend’s treadmill. The first few times I did it, I was frustrated because I remembered my teenage years when I could run all day. But now, all I could do was walk. Nevertheless, I kept forcing myself to do it and before I knew it, I was jogging, and then a few weeks later I was running. And the next thing that I knew I was running over an hour! I couldn’t believe it. It was then that I saw an ad for the Chicago Marathon. I figured that if I could train myself to run for an hour straight, then why couldn’t I do it long enough to run a marathon? So, I started training over several months and when the time came, I was ready. It was cold and crowded, but I ran it. I ran the full 26.2 miles. I didn’t win and it wasn’t pretty, but I did it. And the only way I was able to do it was by disciplining myself in training over several months.

There is a spiritual parallel here. You may not feel that you can put these spiritual disciplines into place, but you can. Little by little, you can get into spiritual shape. You may not be a spiritual marathon runner just yet, but God can transform you into one if you put the spiritual habits or disciplines into place that allow Him to work. By God’s grace and His help, you can train yourself for godliness and the next thing you know, God will begin to use you in ways that you could never have imagined, all for His honor and glory. Amen.