Find Us Faithful

Just what does it take to be found faithful? There’s more to that question than any man can ever answer but it can start with two words: spiritual discipline.

A very simple description of spiritual discipline was given to Timothy.

1 Timothy 4:7: Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.

Four things jump from this verse to give us direction.

1. We need to stop wasting our time on things that are going to be of no value to us in a few years. This earthly world will be left behind and all our great worldly accomplishments or all of our humiliating failures will be left behind.

2. Spiritual discipline is hard work. We are told to “exercise” or to spend our time and energy in “training”. Anyone who has ever exercised and trained with a goal in mind knows of the self-sacrifice involved needed to reach that goal. It’s not something that just happens; it usually requires rigorous, strenuous, and time-consuming work. Much like the honest pursuit of any goal, it is something that must be a constant endeavor. You can’t take time off and expect to reach your maximum potential. Spiritual discipline is demanding and must be a so much a part of our thinking that it becomes a character trait.

3. Spiritual discipline must be desired. The word “yourself” tells us that it is something we have to do and no one else is responsible for it. When we train our physical body, we must make a decision to get up off the couch and get to the gym. We must push ourselves to do what is needed to reach our goals. In order to get stronger physically, we need to raise the standard and put a little more weight on the bar, run a little further, or set a faster goal for ourselves each time. The spiritual aspect is no different. We must want to grow in our walk with the Lord and get up off the couch. Do the things that are a little outside our comfort zones to stretch us and force us to grow spiritually.

4. Spiritual discipline has God in mind. The ultimate goal is Godliness. It should be the direction of every believer’s walk. I have always wanted to be like my Dad. He was someone that I looked up to and admired. Why? Because he helped give me life, fed me, clothed me, comforted me, and trained me. How much more should we be thankful to our Heavenly Father because He not only performs these same tasks for us but He offers us eternal life, not just the few short years that my earthly Father did. Shouldn’t we want to be more like Him? Jesus Christ has set us free to worship Him, serve Him, and pursue His godly nature.