Sweat It Out!

Week Two - Day Four

1 Timothy 4:7b-8 NLT  ... Instead, train yourself to be godly.  (8)  "Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come."

Do you have any verses that you wish were not is Holy Scripture?  Perhaps this is one such verse for us.  "Train yourself"? Yuck. That sounds like hard labor.  That sounds like parenting.  That sounds like an athletic practice.  That sounds like a music rehearsal.  That sounds like homework. That's exactly what Holy Spirit through Paul is trying to communicate.

Make no mistake here: Grace is FREE.  Salvation is FREE.  Forgiveness is FREE.  Growing in Godliness is hard work. Labor.  Training. Dallas Willard said it this way, "Grace is not opposed to effort, grace is opposed to earning".

Let me encourage you: You are becoming more godly, even if you don't see it.   Jump off the scale and trust God's word.

Galatians 6:9 NLT  So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.

Here's the takeaway:  You play like you practice.  

Message your prayer partners today.  Encourage them to keep doing the hard work of growing in godliness.  Share with them one way that you are seeing them become more like Jesus!

**This post works well with the companion book/prayer guide:  An Awesome Way to Pray by Barry St. Clair.  Here's the link to the free resource in case you haven't downloaded it yet: https://goo.gl/GdevSj