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Exercise Yourself Towards Godliness (Part 2)

• Dr. Gilbert Mwachia

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Discover the secret to a fulfilling spiritual life as we unravel the teachings from 1 Timothy 4:7-8, focusing on the call to "exercise yourself toward godliness." Like an athlete in training, the journey to godliness requires dedication, discipline, and the continual rejection of distractions. We delve into Paul's guidance to Timothy, which emphasizes the personal responsibility each of us holds in shaping a godly character, reflecting Christ-like behavior. This episode is all about understanding the profound commitment to spiritual growth, where embracing godliness offers benefits far beyond the physical realm.


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Speaker 1:

Hallelujah, all right. So welcome to this session of the Word of God, delighted that you can join us for this time. We are in 1 Timothy, chapter 4, and verse 7 and 8, continuing on the message that we were sharing last Sunday. 1 Timothy, chapter 4 and verse 7, paul tells Timothy here but reject profane and old wives' fables and little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. May the Lord bless his word, his word, when Paul says but reject profane, an old wife's fable and exercise yourself toward godliness. Our subject is exercise yourself toward godliness.

Speaker 1:

Now, this was not a request Paul was giving. In the original language, where it was written, is actually a command, a command, a continued command. They say it is present imperative. Now, I'm not an English scholar, but in my studies I say it is a present imperative, that this was supposed to be a continuous lifestyle, a command that Paul is giving Timothy, that this is supposed to be your lifestyle. You don't do it once, but you have to do it all the time. Time you will be bombarded with the words, with the arguments, with the philosophies, with the theories about God or against God. Where did God come from? You know where the last days they have been going to you. All these kinds of arguments, people Paul says you have to continuously reject because you are living in the last days. So I want us to take that as an instruction for ourselves. It's supposed to be a lifestyle where we have made a choice continuously that we will say no to some things, we will say no to some arguments, and then, on the other hand, once you have said no, there is something new we are doing. We are exercising ourselves toward godliness. If you missed that teaching, please make sure to draw back again to go and listen to that so that you can flow with us.

Speaker 1:

We say, godliness, for you to be godly is going to take a strenuous exercise. Picture an athlete who is training for a crown. When they were training themselves to go to the Olympic the Greek or Roman Olympic they will strip themselves. They will strip themselves almost to bare minimum because they did not want to have anything impeding them to achieving their purpose, to achieving their goal of winning all right. So I want you to get those two aspects which I didn't bring out very clearly in the last session about that word gymnasium, when you're saying stripping yourself.

Speaker 1:

It means you remove everything that hinders. You have to cut yourself. Some of this may involve cutting some companionship that hinder your godliness. Some of this may mean you have to cut some habits. You look for habits that are hindering you towards becoming godly. All right, and we didn't define what godliness is. But godliness is really being like a godlikeness. All right, and we didn't define what godliness is, but godliness is really being like a godlikeness. All right, godliness for those who are writing exercise yourself toward godliness. Godliness is being godlike or godlikeness. In other words, it's behaving, acting and living in a manner that looks like God, that makes you look like you are the character of God, like you are Christ-like. That's really what godliness is. Okay, I don't want to dig deeper into the Greek meaning and all that, but that's enough definition.

Speaker 1:

So when you say exercise yourself the idea of Two ideas, two ideas, I want to bring them out. I didn't bring them out clearly. I think I only brought one of stripping yourself, of removing to bear me, removing hindrances. That's one part. That means associations or companions, habits, ideas or stuff that you think is hindering you becoming God-like. You cut that. And then the next thing that we also brought out, but I want to bring those two out is the idea of the strenuous exercise, is the idea of putting all your energies. So, gymnasium, it means being focused, your strength. In gumnazo, it means being focused, you are strength, like you can see the athletes. Picture the athletes as they are running towards the finish line. Okay, I wanted to picture that because that's what Paul was bringing to this young man. They strain, they put all their energies towards getting to the rope, to catching the rope, so they are straining. So to become godly is an exercise. It's going to take an exercise of your, it will take an action. All right, so those two should come out. And then I want to bring a third one. Okay, I know you're thinking like I'm repeating, but there are things that I didn't mention which I'm bringing. I want them to come across. The third one is that word there yourself. Please underline that, because I didn't bring that out clearly. All right, underline that.

Speaker 1:

In verse seven it says but reject profane and old wives fables and exercise yourselves toward godliness. That one there yourself is also significant and important for us to understand. All right, so three points I brought already. I hope you are getting it, you yourself. You have to understand to become godly. For you to become godly, it takes your own effort. Nobody can do that for you. There is no pastor, there is no apostle, there is no man who can lay their hands on you to become a godly, to become Christ-like, to become godly, it is yourself. So Paul says. Paul says, yes, I have prayed for you, yes, I have laid hands on you, I am an apostle.

Speaker 1:

But, timothy, if you're going to be godly, you have to exercise yourself toward godliness. I hope you are getting that, because it's very, very important. You have to exercise yourself toward godliness, all right. In other words, no matter how much my wife is praying, no matter how much my wife is fasting, no matter how much my wife is reading the word, that exercise is not going to help me as a person to become godly. I have to do that for myself. I got to read the word of God. I got to spend time with God. My wife can't do that for me. Your husband can't do that for you. Your parents can't do that for you. The fact that your parents are godly, that's not going to make you godly. It is yourself, timothy. I am your mentor, paul, I am anointed by Jesus Christ. I am called by Jesus Christ. Yes, you are following me. But, timothy, if you want to be godly, if you're going to be a godly man, you have to exercise yourself. You have to pray. You got to read the word of God. You got to spend some time in fasting, for example. You got to do some witnessing. You got to praise the Lord All these that I mentioned in the house. Take time to praise. Fill your hearts with praise. Watch what you listen to, watch what you pay attention to. Those are the things that will make you godly.

Speaker 1:

If you're only feeding yourself, again, it's about food. It's a spiritual life. It is what goes in is what comes out. If you allow garbage in, what will come out is garbage. Some people wonder why am I speaking so much rubbish? Why am I speaking so much profanity? It's because you are allowing profanity to. You're feeding your mind, you're feeding your spirit with profanity. If you, if all your companion, all they do is cursings, you know they curse, they speak evil, they're using the name of the Lord carelessly, they just speak. You will find yourselves doing that, because garbage in, garbage out, fed with the rubbish, is being fed with the foolish stuff that is being fed with the.

Speaker 1:

I don't know how to describe these foods. Junk, that's the word I was looking for, give my English, but junk if you feed on junk, you will bring out junk stuff. It's just common sense, okay? So, in other words, that's why it brings the award of gymnasium, where the gymnastic cuts out. It doesn't want any weight. They're running before their parents, they're running before their peers, they're running before their own children, but they are dressed to the bare bare minimum. The least weight they don't want any weight that will draw them back was the goal of winning a gold medal in the Olympics. That is it.

Speaker 1:

So some fellows, some people, some companion, some association, some groups of people, some clubs, you know, you just say I'm sorry, I'm out, I'm out. This is just not for me, you know, it's not helping me. Because why? You have godliness in the sight of you, you want to build, you are exercising yourself towards godliness. So three things I have brought there are really quickly, to add onto what we had shared last time right, to make sure you are stripping yourself. Right, and then to make sure that you are straining. So there's stripping and then there is straining, there is all the energies, and then we have talked about it is yourself. Nobody else can help you to become godly. That's why you can find people who are born again at the same time, but their spiritual development, their spiritual development, is very, very different. You can find somebody who has been in the Lord for five years, for 10 years, but their spiritual life has not developed to that category. Because why they are not exercising themselves. All right, if I'm watching somebody else doing push-ups, doing press-ups, you know, no matter how long I am watching them, no matter how long somebody is coaching, you can have a coach telling you if you don't do it, you know, watching somebody do it, that's not going to build my muscles. You know it is the one who exercises is the one who bears. So your spiritual life which will help you, whether the storms of life will depend on you.

Speaker 1:

It is very, very interesting that in the things of the world, we work so hard. We work so hard at our careers, we work so hard at our professions, we work so hard at our jobs to earn a living. We work hard to achieve some stuff in this world, things that are just for temporal world, but we do not give ourselves the same zeal when it comes to our spiritual development. That's the really meaning of the words that we are bringing here Exercise yourself toward godliness. We are exercising ourselves towards godliness and our time is up. I'm only talking about two areas, you know, and but let me mention this as I close because I have to close We'll pick up from those others in our next teaching.

Speaker 1:

When we begin to exercise ourselves towards godliness, there is always a temptation that people think that we are miserable people. We are talking about the promises in this life, the promises that we have in this life. We have talked about the presence of God, we have talked about the peace of God, and when we are talking about straining towards becoming godly, there is always a temptation oh, if I am a godly man, then I will. I'm losing on life, you know. I'm losing the joy of this life, I'm not enjoying life. Oh, beloved, I want you to know that the life in Christ is the best life that we can ever live. It's not easy to live an ungodly life. It's not easy, you know.

Speaker 1:

Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew, chapter 11. I think they were quoted by my wife sometime and we have shared that. Matthew 11, verse 28. Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And then, verse 29,. Jesus says take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light and you will find rest for your souls. Hallelujah, you know that's a promise. Jesus says if you come to me, you are seeking after godliness, you want to be like me, christ-like, you want to please God. He says take my yoke. The world has a yoke. But he says take my yoke and learn from me. Where do you learn from Jesus? From the word Learn from me and you will find. And therefore, my yoke is easy. He says my yoke is easy and my burden is light and you will find rest for your souls. The burden we have beloved is easy, it's easier, it's an easier life. You know Proverbs. Oh, my goodness, all those scriptures that come, proverbs. You can go read, write it down Proverbs, chapter 13, verse 15. Proverbs 13, verse 15. Proverbs 13, verse 15.

Speaker 1:

Somewhere there, solomon says the way of the wicked is hard. The way of the wicked is hard. Did you know that the way of unrighteousness is hard, is difficult. You will think that all these guys are enjoying life. Oh, they're party drinking, maybe other young people you think young people are enjoying? They look like they're enjoying, they look like they're having fun with fentanyl and dope and drink, and women and men and all these guys. But the way of the wicked is hard. It's hard beloved. It's a hard life, it's difficult, it's frustrating, because they are looking for contentment and those things never fill them, those things never satisfy them. Their lives are empty, empty life, useless life. They end up. They think they come back to bed and what was this all about? They have hangovers in the morning, they have headache in the morning and they're looking for can I get another shot? Oh, I'm feeling so miserable. Can I get another shot?

Speaker 1:

The way of the wicked is hurt, but for us who are children of God seeking after godliness, there is a promise for the life that is now. The life that is now, and what is that promise? It's a life of peace. It's a life of rest, getting rest. Jesus says come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He says take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Jesus has given us the best life that you and I can live in this present life we are enjoying life.

Speaker 1:

If you're watching this by telecast, you're watching this by YouTube, maybe you haven't surrendered to Christ Beloved, you are missing on life. You haven't begun life yet, because Jesus said I am the way and the life and the truth. He is life, he is the truth, he is the way. Surrender to Christ, surrender to the Lord, surrender to follow him. And when you live a life of surrender, then you start becoming godly and then they are profit right. So we finish with our verse where we were reading in 1 Timothy, chapter 4, verse 8, it says for physical exercise profits a little, but godliness has profit for all things, having promise for the life that now is and the life that is to come.

Speaker 1:

And if you don't know Jesus Christ yet, he's knocking at your door All you need is to open your heart and say Lord, come in. I want to be godly. Tell Lord forgive my sins, call on him. Just pray that prayer wherever you are. Just tell God he is faithful and then accept him in your heart and then from there, make sure you join yourself to a church and tell the other believers that I surrendered my life to Christ. Don't keep quiet on it. Don't say I'm going to try it, that's not going to work.

Speaker 1:

You get power when you begin to testify, when you begin to tell others of what Jesus has done for you. That way the spirit of God comes through, because confession brings salvation. Unless you confess it out, you are not going to be saved. You can believe with your heart, for all that you can, but unless you begin to tell people that you are born again, you won't experience the joy of this life we are talking about. God bless you. I hope you get saved. Just pray that prayer and you can go to our website, faithlifevictorycom. We have an area there that will help you how to get saved, and then you can connect with us. We'll be happy to help you. Write us a note, send us a note, and we will be very happy to minister to you and even send you materials that we have and help you grow and become a mature Christian. God bless you. God loves you and we love you too. We'll see you again in our next teaching, amen.