Timothy’s Workout Plan

“…Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, holding promise both for the present life and also for the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7b-8

Intro

Over the next few weeks, I will be putting forth a workout plan that incorporates both spiritual and physical fitness.  If you need a little help getting in shape, or have wanted a deeper motivation for working out the following posts will be a journey toward godliness mixed with some ‘bodily training’.  It will be challenging on both levels.  Please join in and follow along.  Post comments and give some feedback.  More details on the plan tomorrow, but for now: the beginning…

Beginnings

When we begin an endeavor like this (fitness/rightness), it is always best to begin at the beginning. And there we typically find questions. Lots of questions! But questions are good because they can reveal what answers we’re looking for, and when we know that then we have a beginning.

“What is valuable?” “What value do I have?” “What is good?” “What is good about me?” “How can I get right/fit?” “How can I change this?” By looking at these common questions (and, yes, everybody is asking basically the same questions as you), we can begin to define what is our goal. We are looking for fitness. Rightness. Righteousness.

righteousness – acting rightly; according to what is right [Webster’s]

If we’re honest (and we must be or else our questions are useless), we recognize that something is wrong with the world, with our lives, with us. And it’s not just surface things like “I don’t like my job” or “I don’t like the color of my hair”. Those things are changeable. No, there is a deeper problem that we can’t put our hands on and change. It’s our hearts. Our nature. Not how we are, but who we are.

Caution!

This questioning can seem depressing. Both the answers we find and/or the absence of answers can lead us to a sense of despair. Worthlessness. Helplessness. But here’s some good news…that’s ok. It’s ok to make an honest assessment of the things around us and within us and come away with a bleak outlook. Because there is an answer that exists outside of everything we’ve ever known or been, and it speaks words like faithful, true, and righteous. The condition we find ourselves in (as revealed by the questions we repeatedly ask) is not unchangeable, and it is addressed head on by the only One who can do anything about it. God.

faithfulness – steadfast in affection or allegiance; firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty [Webster’s]

When we begin at the beginning we discover that we begin with God. And we find He is already way ahead of us on this road! God ALONE is faithful. God ALONE is true. God ALONE is righteous. God ALONE is every answer we desire to hear in response to our questions. Who He (truly) is, is who and how we (truly) want to be. And the road we are setting out on is the road that leads us to that reality. God’s likeness. Godliness.

godliness – devoutly conforming to the will of God [Webster’s]