"Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly." 1 Timothy 4:7
At the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, Saturday, Germany's Patrick Lange broke the course record when he finished the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile marathon in eight hours, one minute and 40 seconds. Not only does this make him the 2017 Ironman World Champion but the fastest person to ever hold the title. And while those watching the event might have marveled at Patrick's speed, most of the spectators probably didn’t realize that his efforts were the culmination of hundreds of hours, months, or even years, of hard training. You see, as every endurance athlete knows, the hardest work is done before stepping up to the start line and always necessitates taking the proper time to train.
Paul certainly knew the value of time too, which is why he urged Timothy not to waste any of it by "arguing over" things that didn't really matter but to, instead, use his time to train himself "to be godly." And just how does a person "train" to do this? By making time each day to meet with God through prayer and the careful reading of his Word-and then putting into practice those things God reveals. You see, each time we train this way, we become more “godly” and strengthen our spiritual muscle.
So may you and I train "to be godly" in the same way an elite athlete trains to be first to the finish line-by being continually and persistently focused on the prize and allowing the pursuit of it to literally consume our hearts, minds and lives above all else. Because that, my friend, is what it takes to run the race and finish strong.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word that gives us everything we need to be spiritually trained. Help us to see the value that training to be godly has above anything else that we could ever pursue in this lifetime. May we make the best use of the time we have to become more like You. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
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