OUR DAILY BREAD 17TH NOVEMBER 2024 DEVOTIONAL, SUNDAY ODB MESSAGE
Our Daily Bread 17th November 2024 Devotional TOPIC: Spiritual Fitness
BIBLE IN YEAR: Ezekiel 5-7; Hebrews 12
KEY VERSE: Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. – 1 Timothy 4:7
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
1 Timothy 4:6-10
TODAY’S ODB INSIGHT
When Paul says to Timothy, “If you point these things out . . . you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 4:6), what “things” is he referring to? The apostle opened his letter by saying, “Command certain people not to teach false doctrines” (1:3). Now he returns to that theme: “Some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (4:1). What are the “things taught by demons”? Paul elaborates: “They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods” (v. 3).
Several years earlier, Paul had issued a similar warning when he asked the believers in Colossae, “Why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: ‘Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!’ These rules . . . are based on merely human commands and teachings” (Colossians 2:20-22). Beware of false religion infringing on genuine faith.
OUR DAILY BREAD 17TH NOVEMBER 2024 – SUNDAY ODB DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE
Tre is a regular at the fitness center and it shows. His shoulders are wide, his muscles pronounced, and his upper arms close to the size of my thighs. His physical condition prompted me to engage him in a spiritual conversation. I asked him if his commitment to physical fitness in some way mirrored a healthy relationship with God. Though we didn’t go too deep, Tre did acknowledge “God in his life.” We talked long enough for him to show me a picture of the four-hundred-pound, unfit, unhealthy version of himself. A change in his lifestyle had worked wonders physically.
In 1 Timothy 4:6-10, physical and spiritual training come into focus. “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” (vv. 7-8). One’s external fitness doesn’t change our status with God.
Our spiritual fitness is a matter of the heart. It begins with a decision to believe in Jesus, through whom we receive forgiveness. From that point, training for godly living begins. This includes being “nourished on the truths of the faith and of . . . good teaching” (v. 6) and, by God’s strength, living a life that honors our heavenly Father.
REFLET: If you’ve started your journey with Jesus, how would you evaluate your spiritual health? What evidence in your life points to your spiritual fitness?
PRAY: Heavenly Father, please forgive me when I focus too much on externals. Help me to attend to spiritual exercises like Bible reading, prayer, and loving and serving others.
Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODB) is a Christian organization founded by Dr. Martin De Haan in 1938. It is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with over 600 employees. It produces several devotional publications, including Our Daily Bread. our daily bread devotional for today audio our daily bread booklet