Training that Lasts
Scripture Reading: Psalm 106; Jeremiah 22-24; 1 Timothy 4
Train yourself for godliness; 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.
- 1 Timothy 4:7-8
After I laid down my tools (not completely, but as a means of making a living) and took up a different line of work, I realized I wasn’t getting the level of physical activity my body needed. Carpentry involves a lot of lifting and squatting — something of a built-in workout every day. You don’t get that managing a warehouse. Yes, I still do some lifting, but the young guys I work with think I’m too old or too fragile, so they tend to step in when I get too rambunctious.
Realizing what was happening, I decided to start exercising again. I took up rucking — basically walking with a weighted backpack. But with the days getting shorter and the weather turning, I’ve not been able to get out as much. I’ll have to figure something out, because I know that if I don’t keep at it, I’ll lose what I’ve gained. Exercise is good for the body.
Paul doesn’t dispute that — in fact, he affirms it. But that’s not his main point. He isn’t scolding anyone for skipping the gym; he’s making an analogy. The same principle that applies to the body applies to the soul. Just as our muscles weaken without use, so does our spiritual life when neglected.
When Paul says, “Train yourself for godliness,” he’s calling us to spiritual discipline: prayer, Bible reading, intentional good works, generosity, worship — the kinds of practices that strengthen the soul. These aren’t ends in themselves, nor do they guarantee a godly life. But when they are done with faith and dependence on the Holy Spirit, they shape the heart toward godliness.
Paul also makes a crucial distinction. Physical training has benefits — it can keep us strong, mobile, and healthy for a while — but those benefits are temporary. No matter how fit we stay, age and death eventually come. Spiritual training, on the other hand, carries eternal value. It benefits us now and in the life to come.
That’s an astounding truth. Paul is saying that spiritual growth here isn’t wasted there. What we cultivate in godliness now — love, faith, humility, endurance — carries over into eternity. Heaven doesn’t reset us all to the same starting line. The character formed by grace here is part of who we will be there.
I can’t claim to understand all the mechanics of that, but I do know this: what you do here matters there. Godliness has value in every way — for this life and the next. So don’t grow weary in training. Keep walking. Keep praying. Keep pressing toward the upward call. What feels like effort now will one day prove to have been eternal gain.