1 Timothy 4: 7-8

You have probably all heard of Tiger Woods, if you're a lad you will have more than likely heard of him because of his sport and girls you probably think he's a bit of all right! But in either case I want to tell you that Tiger Woods is one extraordinary individual. He is the greatest golfer of his time by far and has broken more records than you and me have had hot dinners (well not quite). But the thing that makes him great, is not that he is the best at every part of golf, or that he has had better coaches and trainers than every other golfer or in fact that he uses better equipment. The reason that Tiger Woods has broken all the records at an incredibly early age and that he is the number one golfer in the world is because at the end of most golfing competitions, when every other golfer is having a little rest, or having a drink with their golfing buddies in the bar, Tiger is still out on the golf course on the green practising his putting. He wants to be a success and he is prepared to work hard to improve and is 100% dedicated to training himself to be even better than he already is.

As Christians we could really do with taking a leaf out of Tiger's book. 1 Timothy 4:7 say's these words; "train yourself to be godly". When I read those words for the first time I realised that I am not going to achieve all I can for God and I am not going to live as Jesus asks us to live unless I commit to train myself to be Godly. Everything isn't just going to fall on my lap and God isn't going to send a lightning strike from heaven when I am asleep one night to strike me between the eyes to make me Godly. You and me have to take our coat off, pull up our sleeves and work at being the very best we can. If we are not prepared to work hard and train ourselves then we shouldn't expect to see much happen around us.

It could well be time for you to make a decision to get your training kit on, pick up a Bible far more regularly than you are doing and spend more time reading it. Maybe it is time for you to visit the local Christian bookshop and invest in some good Christian books to help train you. Maybe you need to make a choice to go for a walk everyday so that you can spend more time in prayer. Training requires dedication and perseverance even when you don't feel like it. Tiger doesn't always feel like it, he would rather be in the bar having a drink but he knows the value of training. You need to know the value of training yourself. Spend more time with God, listen to more tapes, read more books, pray more, read the Bible more, do whatever it takes! All of us can train more, all of us can improve and if we want to see our unsaved friends and family get to know Jesus, if we want to see our churches grow, if we want to see our nation change then join with me and make a decision today to get your kit on and train yourself to be godly.