Hi Guys,

Welcome to a new bible study. Today it's a verse what can be easily be misinterpreted. In The Netherlands I know from the past that this verse is often incorrectly explained. Hope the study of today can help you in your faith.

Here you can find the text:

1 Timothy 4:8, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and for the life to come.”

Interesting points:
1. Building on the previous verse’s exhortation to train ourselves to be godly, Paul compares our spiritual training to physical training to understand the value and results of such discipline.

2. Anyone that has been disciplined in exercising and/or physical training understands how important consistency, repetition, and developing good form is to one’s physical appearance, performance and resiliency in difficult tasks. As it is with physical training, spiritual training requires the same steadfast attitude, discipline and time. Just as one does not become a high-performance athlete overnight, we must expect that our transformation will take time, patience and that we will see incremental (and encouraging) results along the way.

3. Paul’s reminder that our spiritual growth and development lasts into eternity should catch our attention. Our physical bodies will waste away but our spirit lasts eternally. Just as it is good to take care of our physical bodies so we can enjoy healthy lives, it is even more important to take care of that which is eternal because we’ll be stuck with it literally forever! A healthy spiritual life will also spare us the consequences of unrighteous living in our earthly lives, whether contracting certain diseases, needless injury, depression, and/or disrepute.

Application.
Brothers, we are given but one life on earth and one body to take us through life. We ought to take care of our health for God has given us a mission!

But we are also running a spiritual race that requires proper spiritual food (the Word), making good choices, and an understanding of our route and destination. We have each been assigned a most excellent coach (the Holy Spirit) BUT we have a choice: do we choose to get up in the morning like a premier athlete, looking forward to and focused on the day’s training OR do we invest a half-hearted response thinking the competition is a long way off so we can take things easy (or that our coach will whip us into shape at the last minute)?

Like men resolving to get back in shape that seek accountability partners, may we find and be brothers that will encourage and hold each other accountable to exercising our spiritual “muscles” daily by getting into the Word, praying, and finding ways to praise and glorify Him throughout the day, whether it be through the excellence of our work, the life-decisions we make, or how we invest our “idle” time.