Lt. General William K. Harrison

"...train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:7-8)

Lt. General William K. Harrison was the most decorated soldier in the 30th Infantry division, rated by General Eisenhower as the number one infantry division in WWII. He was the first American to enter Belgium during that war, which he did as the head of the Allied forces. He received every decoration for valor except the Medal of Honor, being honored with the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, the Bronze star for Valor and the Purple Heart. In the Korean war, because of his character and calm self control, he was President Eisenhower's choice to head the long and tedious negotiations to end the war.

General Harrison led a busy and ultra-kinetic life. But he was also an amazing man of the Word. When he was a twenty year old West Point cadet, he began reading the Old Testament through once and the New Testament four times annually. He did this until the end of his life. Even in the thick of war, he maintained his commitment by catching up during the two and three day rests that followed battles so that when the war ended, he was right on schedule. When at the age of ninety, his failing eyesight no longer permitted this discipline, he had read the Old Testament seventy times and the New Testament 280 times! No wonder his godliness and wisdom were proverbial. It is no surprise that the Lord used him for eighteen fruitful years to lead the Officers Christian Fellowship (OCF).

His story reminds us that it is possible even for the busiest of us, to systematically train ourselves in God's Word. Every area of his life and each of the great problems he faced was informed by the Scriptures. People marveled at his godliness and his ability to bring the Word's light to every area of life.

The call to disciplines ourselves in the Word for godliness is not a call to legalism. Discipline sounds much like legalism. But such thinking is mistaken. Legalism is self-centered, but discipline is God centered. The legalistic heart says, "I will do this thing to gain merit with God." The disciplined heart says, "I will do this thing because I love God and want to please Him."

We must for the right reasons train ourselves in God's Word - train ourselves to listen to its preaching, take notes, check cross-references, read the bible regularly, exercise the discipline of reading Christian books, listening while commuting or exercise and so on. True godliness will make us better employees and employers, better spouses, and better members of Christ's body.

References:
R. Kent Hughes and Bryan Chapell, 1-2 Timothy and Titus