IBS Application for 1 Timothy 4:8

“...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.”

We, along with Timothy, are to exercise ourselves in godliness, so that our godliness may grow. It would seem that according to Paul, a comparison between the training we undergo to improve our bodies and the training we undergo to improve our godliness is possible and useful to understanding how we can improve our godliness.

The same kind of discipline required to stay in shape physically is also required for spiritual growth. This is to say that it requires diligence, faithfulness, and getting stretched beyond your present limit. Just as muscles need to be worked to the point of breaking down, so do we have to be put through trials and tests of faith in order for us to grow in our faith and in character.

No one likes being put through these trials at first, just as a person who has just begun to work out physically probably hates every second of their workout, and crashes afterwards with many aches and pains throughout their body. But as they work out the same muscle groups more, the pain they first felt in those places starts to go away after a workout, and it gets easier to do the same workouts after a while. In the same way, God sometimes allows us to undergo the same spiritual trials to strengthen certain areas of our faith, that we may get stronger in those areas.

And just as there is a proper manner in which a person ought to do specific workouts, we need to know the proper ways in which we should exercise our godliness. We gain this understanding through diligent study of and meditation on Scripture, as well as spending time with God in prayer. Seeking guidance from God as to how we go about living our lives and accepting His grace and mercy are necessary to good spiritual health. If we go about our walk without realizing our need for brokenness, or go too far with the idea that we need to be broken and start self-condemning, we live in our pride and in a way, we become legalistic in our approach, which makes our spiritual growth all about what we’re doing right, and not what God is doing right in and through us. So essentially, humility along with availability to the change God has for us are both required for our growth and pursuit of godliness.


My application for this IBS will be to ask God during my devotion time this week for opportunity for growth, and that He will give me a willingness to be available for Him to use me, grow me and stretch me. I’ll also pray each day this week for the willingness to endure any trials I may face this year, and that I’d receive the growth God has for me in those times. When it comes to my study of the Word, I’ll make a greater effort to find something applicable to myself in each of my devotions this week.

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