It’s a “will worship” morning (Colossians 2:23).* I’ll take Psalm 31:1-3 with Psalm 145:1-3 for Temple worship today.

My Shepherd drew me into His green pastures and laid me down in 1 Timothy 4. The Mind of the Spirit engaged me in verses 7-8:

1Timothy 4:7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.

1Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

I thought about the many who are determined to make 2026 a breakthrough year for them, making physical health and wellness goals. This is good! But I think the Spirit wants us to consider Paul’s exhortation to “exercise thyself rather unto godliness.” While “bodily exercise profiteth little … godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8).

Along the still waters, I reflected on Paul’s exhortation to elevate the exercise to godliness above the important matter of physical exercise. What “little” benefit there is in physical exercise is not only important, it is vital, and in fact, the disciplines developed in bodily exercise are transferable to the disciplines required to strengthen our walk with our LORD, even though the benefits of it are “little” when compared with the spiritual benefits of the exercises that pertain to godliness.

The primary spiritual exercise that strengthens godliness is much use of the Scriptures: “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). The Spirit commands us to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (1 Timothy 2:15). For “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). We know that “much study is a weariness to the fesh” (Ecclesiastes 12:12), so the discipline applied to the study of God’s word is not anything anyone does to satisfy the flesh. Like any meat we eat, this body is sanctified by the word of God and prayer (1 Timothy 4:5), making it fit for the Master’s use (2 Timothy 2:21).

Spiritual and physical exercise complement one another. Neither should be done merely for the vain satisfaction of the flesh.

In the valley, this body lay before Him as a living sacrifice, purged through separation and cleansed through confession, cleansed of all filthiness of the fesh and spirit, striving to perfect that holiness He seeks in all meekness and humiity, and renewing my vow to heed daily His call: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

At the table, we talked for a while about spiritual exercises that build the muscles of godliness. He reminded me of something He taught me many years ago: you will only be as godly as you exercise yourself to be. Applied to 2026: take inventory of where you are spiritually, set your goals for where you want to be at next year’s end, and understand that you will only be as godly as you have exercised yourself to be. Selah!

He anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with His grace. Goodness and mercy hastened to follow behind as we entered the harvest.

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live asap:

https://rumble.com/v73pmn4-shepherds-pasture.html

[*Paul differentiates the wisdom, humility, and neglect of the body spoken of in Colossians 2:23 from any effort to bring honour to the satisfaction of the flesh. He tells us that “will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body” are a “show of wisdom” that is “not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.” Therefore, the “will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body,” are not vain, and may be exercised without hypocrisy.

The context of Paul’s exhortation in Colossians 2:23 is the Spirit’s witness that Christ satisfied the law of Moses, and the removal of the “touch not, taste not” ordinances that God prescribed through him in the Law. The Law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24), and we are no longer under this schoolmaster (Galatians 3:25). Nevertheless, the principles of the Law are good, and Christians are wise to draw from them spiritual principles. After all, Paul exhorted us to “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17). Paul got that from the Law, our schoolmaster. We are free from the burden of the ordinances, but we are called to observe the principles those ordinances taught.

It is beneficial to “keep under my body, and bring it into subjection,” to avoid what Paul feared: “Lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:27). There is value in self-discipline.

A good brother brought my attention to the fact that many students reckon the wisdom mentioned in Colossians 2:23 to be a species of that wisdom spoken of by Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:12, fleshly wisdom, and by James in James 3:15-17, which he identified as earthy, sensual, devilish. The Spirit testifies through Paul and James that there is such a wisdom that is not the wisdom of God, which is from above, and is described as pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy (James 3:17).

Which wisdom does the Spirit have in view when He speaks of a “shew of wisdom in will worship”? I think it’s godly wisdom, not fleshly. And I think the mistake comes from a failure to give attention to the word that is translated shew in Colossians 2:23.

The word shew is explained by some to mean a mere pretension of wisdom, not the true wisdom that is from above. Many good men have taken this meaning. However, when James desires to contrast such wisdom from that which is from above, he uses another word: δεικνύω (deiknuo). This word indicates showing something, as putting it on display, which can be good or bad depending on the context. James said others might “shew” (display) their faith without works, but he would “shew” (display) his by his works (James 2:18). Displaying (showing) is not the problem. One can “show” (display) genuine or false faith. But the word translated shew in Colossians 2:23 is LOGON, which is the accusative singular form of LOGOS. It has the same meaning as LOGOS. LOGOS does not refer to something merely put on display, to be admired,  but rather something revealed through a word, or LOGOS. It carries the same meaning as LOGOS.

The expression will worship translates ἐθελοθρησκεία (eth-el-oth-race-ki´-ah). Found only in Colossians 2:23, it’s a compound of ἐθέλω (Eth-eh-lo — Strong’s G2309) and θρησκεία (thrace-ki´-ah — Strong’s G2356). The first speaks of an active choice arising from a subjective (personal, from within) impulse, rather than passive acquiescence. The second word refers to a ceremonial observance. It refers to a “self-imposed religious piety.” (Strong added in parentheses (arbitrary, or unwarranted). This insertion does not arise from any lexical observations within the word. It reflects a bias he shared with other commentators.) The word does refer to the worship of human will. It refers to an act of the will directing the body and spirit into the worship of God.

As for any objections that the word that is translated will worship refers to vain religion, I answer that Paul emphatically stated that will worship was not intended to glorify the flesh. Furthermore, I answer that there is a religion God honors: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27), and that Paul is speaking of keeping oneself “unspotted from the world” giving heed to that impulse of our love for Christ (1 John 2:15-16).

In Colossians 2:23, the Spirit shows us that the LOGOS (Christ—John 1:1, 14) through the Old Testament taught us the wisdom of self-discipline. It’s beneficial to discipline ourselves as Paul did: “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Corinthians 6:12). The ordinances, though removed, show us the value of “will worship, and humiity, and the neglecting of the body.” I take the idea of “will worship” to mean worshipping God with our will, as Jesus did in Gethsemane.]