The Disciple’s Path: Disciplined

1 Timothy 4:7–8 (ESV)

7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

A letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, one of the men he was training as a disciple. Paul also speaks as Timothy’s spiritual mentor, guiding him in his own progress as a disciple. So as we are seeking God’s guidance for our own growth as disciples, let’s take a look at what Paul tells Timothy in these verses about the discipline that we are called to as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I. Discipline makes intentional choices (1 Tim. 4:7)

If you are a disciple of Jesus, you must be intentional about your choices. Paul tells Timothy to “have nothing to do with” some things and instead “train himself” in other things. In Timothy’s context, it was the “irreverent, silly myths” that he was to intentionally choose to stay away from — the false teachers had been swaying the church in Ephesus with pointless arguments about mystical genealogies of Old Testament saints, they were filling people’s heads with old wive’s tales and superstitions under the guise of biblical teaching. So Paul tells Timothy, “Stay away from those things — don’t even entertain them!”

The writer of Hebrews says much the same thing about the Christian life.

12 Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us,

A disciple is someone who makes intentional choices about their lives — some things that they have to get rid of, put off, separate themselves from — so that they can run this race as a disciple of Jesus. As a disciple of Jesus we should not follow the the pattern of this world as Paul mentioned clearly in Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Discipleship is about Committing to spending time reading the Bible, praying regularly, making worship on Sunday and time with other Christians a high priority, telling others about your faith.

When Paul tells Timothy (and us) to “train ourselves for godliness”, the idea of training is that it is not a one-time thing. In fact, the second thing that we see here in this passage is that

II. Discipline forms consistent habits (1 Tim. 4:8)

Imagine someone saying “I have decided in 2023 that I am going to start eating salads on Fridays…to loose weight …… when I think of it… and there’s nothing else in the house to eat…” That’s not the best plan for weight loss, is it?

In order for a diet to work, you have to be consistent, don’t you?

It’s the same with the Christian life — when you seek a disciplined walk with Jesus, you are not looking for one-time actions, but rather sustainable and repeatable patterns for a lifetime. It like a small action but eventually it will become a part of your daily habit.

If you want to put yourself at the disposal of the Holy Spirit’s transforming work in your life, you need to be consistent in your Bible reading, in your prayer life, in your worship, in your telling others about Jesus. And one of the great keys to consistency is to find a time in your day when you have an hour, a half-hour, twenty minutes to spare to read God’s Word and pray.

Forming those consistent habits of reading the Bible and prayer is what puts you at the Holy Spirit’s disposal for Him to do His transforming work in your life. Maybe it’s a fifteen-minute chunk at the end of your lunch break, maybe it’s a half-hour drive to work every morning and you listen to the Bible online. Whatever it is, find that regular space of time that works for you and use it to put yourself at the Holy Spirit’s disposal!

Find a regular time to meet with God, and also This is another place where Paul’s advice to Timothy to “train himself” for godliness is instructive for us. When you walk into a gym to start doing some weight training, you don’t immediately go load up the bench press for 250 pounds! In the same way, when you are starting a training regimen of spiritual disciplines, you don’t start off by reading five chapters of Romans and then a few Hebrew Psalms for dessert. Make bible reading a habit in your daily life.

III. Discipline trusts God’s promises (1 Tim. 4:8–9)

Look again at verses 8–9:

1 Timothy 4:8–9 ESV

for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Do you see it, as a disciple of Jesus? When you put yourself at the disposal of the Holy Spirit’s power by making intentional choices and forming regular habits — training yourself for godliness, God promises that you will be rewarded!

You will see the rewards of godliness As you grow in putting yourself at the disposal of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit — making deliberate choices to pursue godliness and forming consistent habits of prayer, reading the Word, worship and sharing the Gospel, you will see your life change!

- You will have more victory over the sin that remains in your life — because when you walk by the Spirit, you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16)!

- You will be free from fear and anxiety, because it says in Romans 8:6 ESV

“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”

- You will have more wisdom and insight into your life and the lives of others, because God has given you the “Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ” (Ephesians 1:17). T

- Discipline trusts God’s promises for this life is working an eternal weight of glory for you in Heaven!

- Your training in godliness — your spiritual disciplines here in this life hold great promise for the life to come!

- Because when you stand with Him in the life to come in Heaven, you will see just how much God was at work through those seemingly ordinary, mundane, uninspired acts of discipline — you will see just how powerfully the wind of the Spirit was filling the sails of your discipline, how He was at work behind and before you, transforming you through those ordinary means of grace — the Word, prayer, worship, the Lord’s Supper — He set all of these things before you so that through them He could work in you a godly discipline and holiness to enrich and bless you throughout this life and the life to come!

Lastly, lets hold on to this verse

Galatians 6:9

9 Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary.

So toil and strive, as a disciple of Jesus — make it your aim to discipline your life so that you may put yourself at the disposal of the Holy Spirit’s transforming power — for this life, and for the life to come in the presence of your Savior, Jesus Christ!