e-votional
a message to encourage and uplift from College Heights Baptist Church
Wednesday December 31, 2008
If you would like any of the previous e-votionals, just reply to this email and let me know. Likewise, if you would like to stop receiving them.
We are excited to be able to provide the first twenty-six e-votionals (including a gospel presentation) in a printed booklet. Unfortunately, we have to pass along the printing costs. The booklet, entitled Tough Life-Big God, is now available. The cost is $2 per book. You can email us if you would like to reserve a copy (or copies), or just pick some up on whenever the church is open.
7…, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; 8for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:7-8 (NASB)
Each year, millions of people will make resolutions for the New Year. Many of these will be noble goals. Some will vow to exercise more often. Some will change their eating habits. Others will work to strengthen their finances or finish an unfinished degree. Yet others will want to make small steps in things like being on time.
One of the goals that should be at the top of our list is one concerning godliness. As Paul writes to Timothy, he encourages the young pastor to make the pursuit of godliness a goal. He compares spiritual growth with physical exercise. As a matter of fact, the word Paul uses for discipline is where we get the word gymnasium. He understood that the pursuit of godliness is one that takes some effort. Just like we train our bodies, we need also to train our spiritual lives. While physical exercise has some profit, godliness offers a lot of benefits.
For one, godliness makes a difference in our lives today. Our lives our improved as we live godly lives. Being in physical shape gives us an enormous benefit in our daily lives. Our heart, lungs, muscles and joints all work better when we are in physical shape. Exercise, therefore, should be an important part of our life. The pursuit of godliness also impacts our daily living. Our peace is greater. Our joy is less encumbered. Our sense of purpose and direction are stronger. Our focus is more on God and His kingdom and less on ourselves. Indeed, godliness is a worthwhile pursuit because of how it impacts us every day.
Furthermore, godliness impacts our lives forever. If indeed God is preparing us for eternity with this life, then striving to be godly is something worth doing. We all want to stand before God knowing that we lived for him with passion and intensity. In order to do that, we need spiritual discipline in our lives. We need to grow in godliness.
The reality is, anything worth having is worth working for. If we want to develop godliness in our lives, it is not going to happen just because we want it to. I want to lose weight, but it takes more than me having a desire to drop a few pounds. I have to watch what I eat, exercise regularly, and work to develop good habits in order to achieve my goal. I want to save money, but wishing alone won’t get me there. I need to spend less and save more. If we want to grow in godliness, we need to take steps to make it happen. Why not take the time to begin to make changes in your life and priorities right now? Let’s train ourselves to be godlier. We can do it if we want to. Let’s put that at the top of our list of this year’s resolutions.
Pastor Darrell
P.S. – If you interested in picking up some simple steps to grow spiritually, check us out on-line at www.docdeer.wordpress.com. We are posting some keys to getting into spiritual shape over the next several days.
