Training to be godly.

Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly 1st Timothy 4:7 (NIV)

Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! 1st Timothy 4:7 (The Message)

Corpus omne perseverare in statu suo quiescendi vel movendi uniformiter in directum, nisi quatenus a viribus impressis cogitur statum illum mutare*

In recent times, I have found myself in a season of reflection, thinking critically about the way things are and whether they match up with the way things should be. I smile as I look back on positive changes in my life over the past year and meditate on how life is more like a marathon than a sprint; 'I want to be like Jesus and I want it NOW!!' used to be me. Life is a marathon and not a sprint, developing the fruit of the Spirit and a Christ like character is a life-long process, to consistently bear fruit worthy of one's calling, we must be willing to go through the seasons with Christ. It was in this frame of mind that I found myself talking to God about how I would like to improve on the quality and quantity of my quiet time. I was giving my excuses until I sensed the Holy Spirit remind me of the passage above "train yourself to be godly".

'He/she has no home training' is a retort describing individuals who by their actions show (at least in the mind of the speaker) that some of the basic elements of having grown up in a home under the supervision of one or two parents appear to be lacking. Training is not however, limited to the young, when we start a new job we are trained so we know what to do, how to do it even though sometimes we don't know why we are doing it!

Some definitions for the word train are (Dictionary.com)
:to develop or form the habits, thoughts, or behavior of (a child or other person) by discipline and instruction: to train an unruly boy.
:to make proficient by instruction and practice, as in some art, profession, or work: to train soldiers.
:to make (a person) fit by proper exercise, diet, practice, etc., as for an athletic performance.
:to treat or manipulate so as to bring into some desired form, position, direction, etc.: to train one's hair to stay down.
:Horticulture. to bring (a plant, branch, etc.) into a particular shape or position, by bending, pruning, or the like.

I love the first definition, developing new habits by INSTRUCTION and DISCIPLINE. We cannot be trained without acquiring new knowledge, we are instructed in what to do, a trainer lets us know how many push ups or sit ups are required for us to achieve our fitness goals. God has given us Himself and the scripture, His word says that He has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. From my own personal experience, usually there are little issues with instruction but with discipline. I know what I should do but I don't do it. Newton's first law can be simply put as, nothings' gonna change in my life until I change, change requires discipline especially when it's for my own good.

There can be no training without discipline, to be godly, one must say no to some things and yes to others. I cannot be training for a marathon and saying yes to excess sugar, salt and oil while saying no to running, weights and sits ups. Something's gotta give. This reminds me of another advice from Paul to endure hardship like a good soldier. As a contender for the faith, I need to be sure that I'm living what I'm saying. Training to be godly involves PRACTICE, we are what we repeatedly do, excellence is not a one day show, it is a habit (quote from?)so I must wake up each day and practice that which I have been convinced of. Storms in life are inevitable, for as well as being training tools, they serve to show in public the training we have received in private. Surviving the storm depends on what I have built my house on and what I have built my house with. So, don't shame your Papa, let the world know He trained you and is still training you real good. The goal of the trainer is not for you to fall in love with him but for you to reach the goal, so sometimes it might seem as if He don't love you anymore but be still and accept the training.

Dear Lord, help me in my training programme to be more like you. I know it's a lifelong lesson. On some days, I may fall flat on my face, on those days remind me that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I have made mistakes and might even make more, help me to never give up but keep striving with the grace you provide for it is always sufficient. Every morning when I wake up, it is my desire to live the life you would have me live, exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit. Amen

*Every body persists in its state of being at REST or of moving UNIFORMLY straight forward, except insofar as it is COMPELLED to change its state by FORCE impressed
Isaac Newton, The Principia, A new translation by I.B. Cohen and A. Whitman, University of California press, Berkeley 1999