1 Timothy 4 opens with Paul's warning to his spiritual son, Timothy, that in the last days, many will turn from the faith (and sound teachings) and will instead turn to deceiving spirits, and their consciences will have been seared.
Now the Holy Spirit tells us that in the last times some will turn away from true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teaching that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead. (1 Timothy 4:1-2)
He goes on to talk to Timothy about staying true to God and Christ by how he teaches.
If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed. Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. "Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come." This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is Savior of all people and particularly all believers. (1 Timothy 4:6-10)
Wow...how many times do we waste our time with people arguing over those things that have no eternal value? We allow ourselves to get so wrapped up in stuff that really has no true significance, all the while ignoring the quest we should have... to train ourselves to be godly. When we put the world in its right place, and instead focus on growing in our spiritual life, we grow in ways that far exceed only this world.... we gain benefits in this life and the one to come.
But how do we grow spiritually? I would love to be able to say that we can all just be good little Christians and set our minds only on the things of God. We can put the world in its place, pick up our Bibles, and be warriors for God. We can pray and seek Him, and everything will go our way... nothing bad will ever happen to us because of this wonderful relationship we have with our Lord.
Unfortunately, this is what I think many believers believe.... and this would be some of the false teaching from deceiving spirits that was aforementioned in the text above. If you believe this, then I am telling you right now that Satan is lying to you, and you are lying to yourself. Paul says right in this text that we have to work hard and struggle (or suffer) in our pursuit of godliness.
Because the truth is that it is in our struggles and our suffering that we grow in faith and character, thus "training for godliness". Without struggles and suffering in our lives, we tend to think we have it all together. We become prideful and self sufficient, and we do the exact opposite of turning to God and trusting that He will provide for us.
Oh, we may do it for a little while, but sooner or later (just like the Isrealites), we all forget the wonderful things the Lord has done for us in our times of great need... and we stop turning to Him constantly (if we even did to begin with), until the next time our lives begin to fall apart and we get overwhelmed. Then once we get to the absolute end of ourselves, we suddenly remember how God came through for us the last time, and we take our trust in ourselves and move it back to a trust in God.
So this is what suddenly occurs to me as I write this....
We should know when we do not make pursuing godliness our ultimate goal, exactly where that leads..... sin, temptation, pride, self sufficiency. We allow the world, and Satan, to get a hook in us for awhile, thus causing pain and suffering. At this point, we have two choices. Either turn away from God and give into the world (though this will ultimately lead to more pain and suffering)... OR... we turn to God, repent, learn to depend on Him again, and ultimately grow in our character and godliness.
BUT... what of the thinking that life would just be wonderful and rosy if we did learn to always turn to God first? If we stayed in His word each and every day? If we prayed and communicated with our Lord and Savior at times other than when we are in trouble? What happens when we set ourselves on pursuing godliness instead of the world? (as Paul suggests in this text?)
I can tell you.... persecution and spiritual warfare. Last month, my family experienced much of this during a time where we were pursuing God and his godliness in our lives and in our God given quest to help my longest and dearest friend.
And let me tell you (as I am sure many of you already know), spiritual attack can be just as tiring and painful as the times we get ourselves in a mess with the world. But it is through the struggles and suffering of this spiritual warfare that will grow our faith and character, just as with the struggles we face in the world. However, when I take a hard look at these experiences, I can see how much greater my faith grows when my struggles are combined with my pursuit of godliness, rather than my struggles with the world. When I am seeking after God and godliness, I am "a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed". My hope is in God!
So I must come to the dramatic conclusion that we simply cannot avoid struggles and suffering. Bottom line is this... you are either suffering for Christ, or suffering for the world. We can serve Christ, or serve the world. We can try to run away, or we can face it head on and let the Lord grow our character. I choose to be strong in Him!
Lord God, thank you for your true and living word that speaks to us each time we seek it with an open heart. Lord, struggles and suffering are not fun, but I choose to let you use these things in my life to strengthen and grow me to be the child of God you want me to become. Forgive me for the times I forget your faithfulness and try to tackle this world on my own. You are my hope and my strength. Use my life and my voice to reach your children. I love you. Amen.
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