Get Rid of Silly Stuff

Christian growth does not come by merely adding godly things. We must also get rid of silly stuff. 

After a bad season of football, I noticed the trainer for our high school team making some noticeable changes. He redesigned the weight room and filled it with new equipment. He posted a training schedule and leader boards to motivate the players. There was a lot of nice, new stuff and it was impressive. But he did not just add new things, he also got rid of some unhelpful things.

Outside of the weight room was a typical high school vending machine setup. One machine offered things like crackers, Funyuns, Doritos, a variety of candy bars, and Skittles. Beside it was a drink machine that offered a large selection of sugary, highly caffeinated drinks. Needless to say, this was a popular spot in the school for our student-athletes.

 But I came in one day to find that the vending machines had been replaced. The chips and candy bars were gone. There was no more Mountain Dew. Instead, in place of the two machines stood one large machine that offered only one selection; protein drinks. 

Our trainer had replaced empty calories that turn to fat with lean protein designed to support muscle growth. No matter how nice the weight room was, those sugary drinks and snacks were a hindrance to the goal. 

What are your silly things?

In 1 Timothy 4:6-7 Paul directs his apprentice Timothy to replace some silly things with solid things.

If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness. 

1 Timothy 4:6-7

For proper Christian growth, we must replace silly things with good doctrine. And that's hard in a culture addicted to silly things. 

What are "silly things?" The Bible specifies them in 1 Timothy 4:1-5. I would summarize silly things like this. Silly things are things that seem important and appear desirable but don't matter. 

Silly things:

Who The Bachelor gives a rose.

How many likes did you get?

Keto diet, vegan, or intermittent fasting?

Splitting hairs over predestination or free will.

Contemporary or traditional?

It all sucks you in. It seems so important. These are the things people love to discuss. But allow me to ask you one question; in the end, does it matter?

Silly things are addictive and enticing, but they must be replaced by things that do matter like, "being trained in the words of faith and of good doctrine."

We need to know more about the Bible than we do The Bachelor.

We need to spend more time seeking what God loves than we do fishing for likes.

We need to get off of our phones and into our Bibles.

You'll never grow on godly things until you get rid of silly things. 

Bible Study

Read 2 Timothy 2:22-26.

• List the commands to be obeyed (there are several).
• What are the truths or promises to be believed?
• What are the principles from this passage that need to be applied?

Challenge

Take a sheet of paper and divide it into two columns. Label one column "silly stuff" and the other "good doctrine." In the silly stuff column list some things in your life that waste your time, don't help you pursue godliness, and in the end don't matter. In the "good doctrine" column, list spiritual disciplines you are currently engaged in that promote godliness. Compare the two columns. Make some decisions today about getting rid of some silly stuff.