Discipline Keys That Lead to Godliness - Part 4

We’ve been exploring 1 Timothy 4:6-10 and looking at discipline keys that lead to godliness. We’ve said that discipline is the pathway to freedom and what separates dreamers from doers. Just as discipline is necessary in the natural, it is also necessary in the spiritual.

You can read the last two posts here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

The first three keys of discipline that leads to godliness is:
1) Tethered to Good Doctrine
2) Intentional
3) Purposeful

The final key of discipline that leads to godliness is that discipline is:

4) Painful

Paul tells Timothy, “for to this end we toil and strive…” Discipline that leads to godliness is a struggle. It’s not easy.

When you train, you are denying yourself something that you may want. But there is a higher goal. That’s why Paul says, “for to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God…”

The words used here are important.
Toil means strenuous labor. Something that saps energy, that drains you. Training for godliness demands energy. It demands hard work on our part.

Like when an athlete gives it his all, he expends the last ounce of energy to reach his goal. Like when you finish a hard day’s work in the yard, or on the job, and you are thoroughly exhausted at the end of it all. That’s the kind of energy we must put in to our spiritual walk.

Strive means “agonize”. Again, it’s an athletic term. It’s a picture of an athlete straining and giving his best to win.

There are choices you have to make if you want to live a godly life. And you should want to and desire to if you are in Christ.

Following Jesus is not easy! Jesus said to follow him you have to die! There’s nothing easy about that! And truth be told, we don’t want that!

I remember a seeing a book titled, “Everyone Wants To Go to Heaven But Nobody Wants to Die.” And that’s a truism.

Here is the beauty of the freedom that discipline gains for us:
You die to what you want to do in order to live for what Christ has gained for you!

Paul says, He is worth it. He is worth expending ourselves, wasting ourselves away for. He is the ultimate prize. He is our hope. He is the Living God, the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

What would it look like if we all disciplined ourselves for godliness this year?
What kind of people would we be?
What kind of impact would we have in our community if our highest pursuit was godliness?

I pray that we all get to find out!