1 Timothy 4:7-10

1 Timothy 4:7-10  Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.  For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.  This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.

As far as Paul was concerned, physical training had some merit but definitely paled in significance to holiness.  Godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.  Godliness benefits this life greatly and also acquires IN CHRIST the life to come.  Our emphasis in life should not be on the body but the spirit.  We should be much more concerned about our spiritual health than our bodily health.  On any Sunday one can easily see that many people are more concerned about their physical well-being than their eternal.  I see people jogging, walking, playing sports, exercising their physical bodies, but neglecting or omitting church from their lives.  I often think their priorities are mixed up.  They believe they are doing something very beneficial, but if they are doing these things at the expense of their souls' health, they are very foolish, for regardless of how long they live, their lives are but a wisp of smoke: here today, gone tomorrow.  However, their souls will live on eternally somewhere, and if they are not intimately acquainted with God through Jesus Christ, they are lost in their sins and futile activities. 

Jesus Christ has come to bring life and that more abundantly.  He has come to make our lives worth living if we sow to the Spirit instead of to the flesh.  If we live in him, He makes our families stronger and happier.  He makes our contact with the world positive, for we help others to the knowledge of the saving grace of God.  We help people find a purpose for their lives and to escape the bondage of sin.  As we live in the profitable domain of the Spirit and not in the corruption of the world, we are salt and light to a dying world.  

Paul tells Timothy not to engage in godless myths and old wives tales.  Today we have many popular myths and old wives tales racing around our culture, and sadly some Christians buy into some parts of these myths and tales.   Probably the chief godless myth that is propagated to Americans on secular television shows is that we are gods or can be gods.  On these shows some spiritual guru tells us that all we have to do to know the purpose of life is to listen to the god within us.  Supposedly, we are really gods; therefore, we can create our own direction and reality in life.  For sure, that kind of idea is godless, for we take the one and only God off the throne and replace him with ourselves.  God is a jealous God; He will never allow us to do that.  We are not a god and we will never be a god.  This belief has infiltrated the church in many different ways, but Paul said, have nothing to do with such an idea.  

Another belief that has taken root in the American church is that this earth is our domain, and we should gain everything we can of this earth's goods and services.  This is well known as the prosperity gospel.  This is an enticing tale, for it intimates that Christians do not have to die to this world and its natural order--we can have all the goodies of the world and Christ too.  This is very tantalizing to the flesh, for we have only one physical life to live, so why not live it in style and prosperity.  Well, this tale violates so many scriptures that they are too numerous to mention this morning, but this is just one: Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.  (1 John 2:15-17)  Our hope is not in the god within us, nor is it in the god who is supposed to give us all the worldly possessions we could ever dream of.  Our hope is in the eternal God who sent Jesus Christ to us for our redemption so we might live eternally IN HIM.  We are but passing through this life; this is not our home.  We are seeking a city that is not made by human hands; we are seeking a city where God's children will abide forever.