Have you ever trained for something that seemed almost insurmountable?
Maybe it was a challenging race or an intimidating performance. You wanted to succeed to the best of your ability, so you decided to train diligently and wisely. You had a plan and put forth plenty of effort. You may have had a trainer to offer counsel and encouragement, even when it was hard to accept the tough feedback. There probably were times of struggle to counter distraction, apathy, and pain.
There is similarity when training for godliness, which the apostle Paul wrote about in his letters to believers. Spiritual endeavors are not the same as earthly endeavors, because no effort on our part can earn our communion with God. It is by God’s grace, through Jesus our savior, that we can enter into the presence of the holy God.
We cannot earn our salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9), but we are called to work out our salvation with perseverance (Colossians 1:23). That is the testing of our faith (James 1:2-4).
This acting on our faith, which demonstrates our faith, requires effort (1 Timothy 6:11-12). The Holy Spirit is at work in us, but we still need to make decisions to join his holy mission of transforming us into godliness. We have to work against distraction, apathy, and emotional pain. Our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ might even experience physical and mental pain.
How can we counter these struggles as we exercise our faith and train to be godly? By daily discipline and focus, we set our goal to glorify God and have our treasure in Christ.
It takes a determination to remain in the Lord, knowing him and choosing to live in his ways. God provides his truths in the scriptures so that we can cling to them and draw strength from them when our emotions are unsteady, our witness is unwelcome, or our attention is divided. Jesus set the plan: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (John 15:4 NIV, letter R in Keep on Track).
How can we support one another in training for godliness? By way of humility and accountability, we experience the value of Christian unity.
We are to encourage one another in our efforts of living out our faith, so that our hearts do not harden (Hebrews 3:12-13). We are to look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who endured the ultimate pain and suffering for us (Hebrews 12:2-3). He understands our weaknesses and is our model of living in obedience to the Father (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Let’s stay focused as we train for godliness and “… throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1 NIV).
Why not use the doable spiritual training schedule of a Heart Training workbook?