"... train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things"1 Timothy 4:7-11
If I applied for Survivor and they asked me why I wanted to go on, I would probably say that I would like to lose 30 pounds and finally see if I have a 6 pack or not. Every pop up ad I get on YouTube has something to do with losing weight, abs, muscles or the like. They must be getting people to "bite" because the CAC (customer acquisition cost - see I am learning something on Shark Tank) must be tremendous. People love to post selfies from the gym and make us all jealous. But how much time goes into that?
Then, there are the athletes that train countless hours to be the best at their sports, yet when we ask, who won last year's MVP award in any sport, we struggle to come up with a name. My wife and I love to watch American Idol yet can never remember a year later who won. What I'm saying is that the countless hours we are spending to be the best here on Earth don't amount to much in the long run.
Paul is saying, why not focus your attention on the things that we will be celebrating a million years from now like your relationship with God, bringing people into the kingdom, crowns of righteousness and rewards in Heaven. The 12 disciples get their names written on the foundations of the walls in Heaven! Who knows, maybe with all the throngs in Heaven wanting to be in the presence of God, maybe there are front row seats available. Maybe just hearing Him say to us, "Well done!" will be a voice resounding in our heads through all eternity and that will be enough.
My Dad would say, "Life is short, will soon be passed; only what's done for Christ will last." That's what Paul is saying here. It's not wrong to train if God has given you unique abilities and skills. Develop them and use them to glorify Him. Just keep it in perspective. If it is taking up so much time that you don't have time to grow in Christ, then it is out of whack. If you are getting more meaning in life from something physical than Someone spiritual, you are out of focus. If you are a believer, a true sign of faith is that you are living with eternity in mind.
Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.
Hebrews 11:13-16 The Message
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