The 2020 Summer Olympic Games (held in 2021) began on July 23, 2021 at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. 

As millions around the world cheer on their favorite athletes, enjoy their favorite events, and track their nation’s medal count, our families have an opportunity to reflect on the many sports and race metaphors in the Bible. 

Thomas Schreiner and Ardel Caneday’s The Race Set Before Us: A Biblical Theology of Perseverance and Assurance offers a good examination of the race metaphor used in the Bible: 

“God calls us to this race.” (Phil. 3:14) 

“We train for this race.” (1 Tim. 4:7-8) 

“Our training entails strict self-control.” (1 Cor. 9:25) 

“Anyone who runs this race must compete according to the rules.” (2 Tim. 2:5) 

“There is a prize to be won.” (1 Cor. 9:24) 

“Anyone who seeks to win the prize must run with singular devotion, with one’s eyes set on the prize who is Jesus Christ.” (Heb. 12:1-2) 

The following Family Devotions are offered as a Gospel Family resource for you to use in your Family Worship, leading those in your household to run the Christian race well as you pass the baton of faith to the next generation (Psalm 78:4-7).   

Training for Godliness—1 Timothy 4:7-8  

Family Time in the Word: Read 1 Timothy 4:7-8 Together

Family Teaching:

Often times, we decide to become more physically disciplined in our eating and exercise after we have had a prolonged season of binge eating and laziness. We find one morning that our clothes don’t fit or we run out of breath walking to the sidewalk to check the mail or we go to the doctor and she tells us our habits have left us unhealthy or even sick. We are then awoken to our need for physical discipline. We change our diet. We join the gym, and, wouldn’t you know it, we become healthier. 

The same is true with spiritual disciplines. Far too often, we fall into a prolonged season of binging on the things of this world, and comfort, and laziness, and we find ourselves spiritually unhealthy—spiritually sick. We need to be awoken to our need for spiritual discipline and our need to change our diet, increasing our intake of the Word of God and prayer. We need to begin to stretch and strengthen our spiritual muscles of self-control, purity, and godliness so that we may become spiritually healthy.  

In 1 Timothy (Paul’s letter that he wrote to Timothy), Paul celebrates the true Gospel message that shapes our lives at the end of chapter 3. He rejoices that this Gospel message has been “proclaimed among the nations” and “believed on in the world.” And yet, in the midst of this great Gospel proclamation, there remain false teachings and false doctrines. And in the midst of so many among the nations believing in the true Gospel, there remain some who have departed from the faith.  So in chapter 4, Paul moves from celebration to exhortation, confronting this other reality.

Paul exhorts Timothy to remain focused and disciplined in the midst of such distractions. He warns him, “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales” (v. 7). Instead, Paul tells Timothy to, “train yourself to be godly” (v. 7). 

Paul compares this spiritual training to physical training, a comparison that remains helpful today as we look at the similarities and differences between physical disciplines and spiritual disciplines. Physical disciplines, like exercise and a healthy diet, “is of some value” (v. 8). Such discipline helps in some ways. However, this discipline, this training, is limited and temporary. 

On the other hand, spiritual disciplines (reading the Bible, praying, fasting, worship, solitude, simplicity, giving, serving), the spiritual training for godliness, “has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (v. 8). 

Pastor Erik Raymond wrote, “Do you think an Olympic athlete hits snooze on their alarm when training? Never! Do they not get tired? Of course they do. But there is a critical point when discipline defeats the desire of the moment. It is when the mind speaks to the heart and says, ‘Hey, I’m in charge. It is time to get up even if I don’t feel like it.’ Discipline takes effort. We don’t recline into discipline we must work at it. Is there anything more important than godliness to discipline ourselves for?”

Training yourself for Godliness is a call to spiritual disciplines, for spiritual disciplines will cultivate healthy habits in your life that find you: Delighting in the Presence of God, Worshipping Christ, Enjoying His Gospel Daily, Dying to yourself Daily, Growing in your Passion for Purity, Abiding in Christ, Producing the Fruit of the Spirit, Obeying the Word of God, Overcoming Sin & Temptation, and Shining your Light before Men that they too Glorify God. 

Family Discussion:

Would you say that you have recently been in a season of binging on the things of this world or a season of feasting on the things of Christ? How are your spiritual disciplines today? Have you cultivated healthy habits that draw you closer to Christ? What are some spiritual disciplines that need to be strengthened in your life? What spiritual habits have blessed you in the past and how would you describe those blessings? 

FAMILY PRAYER:

Close this time of Family Worship in prayer together by asking each family member to share a prayer request they have or a praise that they would like to share. You can either take turns praying or have one person pray for what was shared.