Real Life

WEEK 5

Day 1

Real Life

So far in Upward Training we’ve looked at the need to train ourselves toward godliness, the godliness gap and how to bridge it, and what personal factors need to be taken into account when training unto godliness.  This week we will be looking at the means of training ourselves toward godliness.   We are using the title “Real Life” because real godliness happens in real life, where we live, work and play, in the midst of our everyday circumstances.  The means of growth are a combination of applying the gospel to our perspectives and priorities, practicing spiritual disciplines, and putting Christ first in our real-life circumstances. 

Applying the mind-set of the gospel is the first of the means.  This impacts our identity, our hope, our purpose.  We tend to live consistent with how we see ourselves, and with our capacity to accept God’s definition of reality.  Training tools are spiritual disciplines such as Bible reading, prayer, fasting, silence, and many others that help tame our flesh and engage us in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  Really our past two weeks, “Making it Personal,” were primarily about how to apply the training tools in a way that is most effective for our lives.  Life circumstances are the ups and downs, ordinary and unusual, chosen and unchosen events of life that come our way.  One of the most vital means of spiritual growth is surrendering to and honoring Christ in the midst of the variety of circumstances life deals us. 

Reflect on the following Scripture as we begin this week on the means of training toward godliness: 

²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.               Galatians 2:20

This reference is gospel-based and talks about not living the life of my own will but the life of Christ.  This is what the means are all about! 

Prayer: Reflecting specifically on this devotional, write out a prayer to God. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________