If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. These things command and teach. 1 Timothy 4:6-11

The idea of godliness or holiness is a foreign concept to the modern day Church. Todays Christianity is more carnally minded, consumer Christianity, what can Jesus do for me? But true Christianity is a servanthood, its a submission and obedience to The Lord Jesus Christ as your Master. And during this walk of submission and obedience, we learn to live a life of godliness, as the Apostle Paul “but godliness is profitable unto all things”

However this Biblical concept of Christianity is not popular, and its never going to be popular. But to be a true shepherd/pastor of the Church, to be a faithful leader of the Church, you need to be obedient to the Word of God. As the Apostle Paul says here under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit “If you put the brethren in remembrance of these things, you shall be a good minister of Jesus Christ”. If you keep the Bible as the foundation of your Church, you will be a good Shepherd for your Church. However many false Christian groups have rejected the Word of God as their authority, or they have corrupted the Word of God to fit their carnal minded agendas.

How do we know how to discern false and good doctrine? Being filled and led by the Holy Spirit is a start, but also as the Apostle Paul says here “But refuse profane and old wives fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness” False teachers will arise daily with new false teachings, refuse and reject them which have not been given to you by the Holy Spirit. This is what happens when the Word of God is not the foundation of the Church, the Church will eventually believe anything, as many Anti-Christs have gone out into the world (1 John 2:18)

Many spend their days and hours dedicated to their physical health. This can be a good thing for your body, but what about your soul? If you can develop a workout routine to maintain your physical body, you can develop a routine to feed your soul with the Word of God and prayer. As the Apostle Paul says “for bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable unto all things” Most people are more concerned about the state of their physical appearance, than the state of their soul. Discipline yourself to become a student of the Word of God. Submit your life to The Lord Jesus Christ, turn away from your sin and turn to Jesus in a life of godliness, be filled and led by the Holy Spirit, be in constant prayer with our Father who is in Heaven, Amen!