Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives tales, rather, train yourself to be godly. 1 Timothy 4:7

A dear friend of mine was an ice dancer and spent countless hours on the rink doing the same 4-minute routine again and again. They would even break down the free dance and do a specific lift or jump that may only be 10 seconds long dozens of times. Why? Because amateurs train until they get it right while professionals train until they can't get it wrong.

The question before us today is, “Are we amateur Christians who do just enough to get by or are we professional Christians who train ourselves to be godly?”

To train ourselves in godliness takes three things: knowledge, practice and coaching. Obviously, the most logical place to gain knowledge about godliness is through the study of God’s Word. But we can also gain knowledge by doing life with others. Want to know what a godly spouse looks like? Go hang out with someone who models that. What to know how to run a business in a godly way? Read a biography of a businessman who does this.

The next step after gaining the knowledge is to start practicing what we know because to know and not do is sin (James 4:17). The key point here is that it is practice – sometimes we will nail that jump and sometimes we will fail flat on our face. But regardless, do it again!!

Lastly, we all need a coach, a mentor, an older man or woman to walk alongside of us and encourage, direct and correct. It takes a huge act of courage to be willing to be vulnerable enough to allow some one into our lives to see the good, the bad and the ugly. But when we do that not only will we grow but also we will impact those that are around us.

So strap on those skates, grab a coach and hit the ice!! The Kingdom of God is relying on us.

What areas do you need to shore up your training routine? More knowledge? More practice? A coach?