"In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. 1Timothy 4:6
As most of us know these instructions were given to Timothy from Paul. It is to be applied to our lives as Paul intended for Timothy. If we spend our time with one another pointing out the truth of God’s Word rather than futile knowledge and opinions, we too will be good servants of Christ as we follow His example. I have spent most of my life trying to do that knowing it is the greatest thing I can offer anyone, especially my children.
Notice he tells Timothy if he does this, he will be constantly nourished on the word of the faith. I found that to be true when I was a busy mother with four young children. As I ministered the Word to them, God was constantly keeping my spirit nourished also. When we share the Word it is infallible, perfect, sound doctrine, and we know it is always right.
Let us look at the following verses in Timothy 4:7-10:
"But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for 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. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance . For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed out hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers."
Being in the profession I am in, and having been an endurance athlete for most of my life, I need a constant reminder of the truth in these verses. It takes enormous time and discipline to train and compete in endurance events. Getting older increases the labor and striving involved. I have found I have always had to be very intentional about keeping my priorities in order. It is so easy to lose sight of the eternal for the temporal. We can see the physical realm. The spirit realm is invisible to our eyes. That is why we must discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness above all else. As Paul proclaims, it is profitable for all things, and it holds the promises for this present life and also for the life to come. It requires even more laboring and striving than the physical training required to do what I do as an athlete and trainer. It is also more important for others’ sake that I stay nourished in the Word, so I may not only address the physical needs in people’s lives, but more importantly the spiritual needs we all have.
If we can teach others to fix their hope on the living God who is the Savior of all men, they will be saved eternally, and not just for a few more years of living on this earth. If our hope is fixed on Him we never lose hope. If we put our hope in anything else, it is fleeting with time.
I do firmly believe in caring for our bodies, which is the temple that possesses His Spirit inside us, and our spirit which is eternal. However, we tend to solely focus on ourselves and negate the wisdom and instruction of the One who created us. We aren’t preparing for our life beyond this world, and yet we are all heading toward our eternal destiny. I ask you to honestly ponder the truth of these scriptures and apply them to your lives now while there is still time. May I close with the words of Paul:
"It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance."
May we all give our full acceptance to the only thing trustworthy in this life and the one to come. That is His Word, and the Saviour of all men, especially of believers.
In His love.
Teresa Roberts
Masterpiece Fitness
276-237-6680
Photos of my daughter, Sarah Beth, and her beautiful family!
