Dave’s Monday Blast – May 1, 2017

My friend Rob passed along this great resource to me a while ago. It is called “10 Disciplines of a Godly Man” written by R. Kent Hughes. I believe you will be as challenged by these ideas as I have been. We were made to reflect His Image (Genesis 1:26). INTENTIONAL men know this requires discipline.

None of us are inherently righteous, so Paul’s instructions regarding spiritual discipline found in

1 Timothy 4:7-8 takes on personal urgency: “Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” That word “train” comes from the Greek word from which we derive gymnasium. So, over the next several weeks I invite you into God’s gym…to some pain and great gain!

This week Disciplines 1 & 2:

1. Discipline of Purity:  Sensuality is the biggest obstacle to godliness among Christian men. The fall of King David should not only instruct us, but scare the sensuality right out of us! Fill yourself with God’s Word…memorize passage like 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; Job 31:1; Proverbs 6:27; Ephesians 5:3-7; and 2 Timothy 2:22.Find someone who will help you keep your soul faithful to God. A pure mind is impossible if you mindlessly watch TV and movies or visit pornographic websites (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7). Develop the divine awareness that sustained Joseph: “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9).

2. Discipline of Relationships:  To be all God wants you to be, you put some holy sweat into your relationships! If you’re married, you need to live out Ephesians 5:25-31:“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (v. 25). For those who are fathers, God provides a workout in one pungent sentence: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Relationships are not optional (Hebrews 10:25); they enable us to develop into what God wants us to be and most effectively learn and live God’s truth.

Next week we will consider Disciplines 3 & 4, Mind and Devotion.