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1 Timothy 4:7
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7 But [de] refuse [paraiteomai] profane [bebelos] and [kai] old wives [graodes]' fables, [muthos] and [de] exercise [gumnazo] thyself [seautou] rather unto [pros] godliness. [eusebeia] KJV-Interlinear
7 But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; NASB
Pursue truth, not false things. Fables, is a reference for stories, tales, things made up, whether from years gone by or contemporary popular views.
Fables serve only to distract from truth, only to perpetuate discussions or arguments.
This is not a reference to childrens stories or things that serve to symbolize principles of truth and honor.
Fables, ‘muthos,’ refers to myths, fiction, ideas that pretend to be wise, false instruction as in false principles or norms or standards.
Many a person who pursues religion or cults in its many forms, or politics, or social engineering concepts, will approach life and these subjects as though they are all open to discussion or debate, if only to exercise an open minded approach to life. To explore other views or ideas. To appear as though one is progressive or wise in life.
These things are all wrapped up in the word, fables.
Remember there are only two views in the universe, Gods and Satan's. Truth is from God, everything else is from Satan. Truth stands on its own. Lies have to have discussion otherwise they would never stand up in anything.
Truth is always apparent to those who possess knowledge or the desire to learn it.
Lies have to be veiled in deceptive phrases, and appeal only to those who are naïve or ignorant of truth. Lies find their followers only in the fools of the world.
How does the saying go? ‘Show me the followers of false things, and I will show you fools.’
Old women, ‘graodes,’ is an expression which has been popular since time immemorial. It is used as a criticism, or in a derogatory or insulting sense.
In ancient times, women were denied the many advantages of men. They grew up without education or training. And this is the background of the general sense of the expression. Lacking education, they grew old and came up with the most bizarre of notions about life. Thus wives tales or fables or myths come from this expression of invented viewpoints. They are beliefs based on gossip and lies.
For example:
An acorn should be carried to bring luck and ensure a long life.
Pull the petals off of a flower saying with each pull, he/she loves me, he/she loves me not. The last petal pulled decides your love fate.
Spit on a new baseball bat before using it for the first time to make it lucky.
To protect yourself from witches, wear a blue bead.
If a woman is buried in black, she will return to haunt the family.
And so you can look up wives tales online and discover the many gems of wisdom that you have been missing in your life.
However, people will make things up out of nothing, and believe them, but they will read the Bible which has phenomenal truth and history and reliability, and they will not believe it. They will even go so far as to make up arguments that they say discredit the Bible, which is a popular approach against truth for people of other religions. But, if you analyzed their arguments closely, then you would see that they are made up of the same things that wives tales are made up of, namely invented or tainted data.
And this is of course not limited to cute stories, but extends into more serious topics such as government policy, social norms, and especially views of what is or is not important in life.
Everything, every view in this world, is designed to distract you away from God, Christ, and doctrine. Why? Because, do you remember what the ultimate source, of all of these lies, is? Doctrines of demons or Satan.
Life in this world is not restricted to our immediate environment, but ultimately controlled or under a strong influence from evil out of the angelic conflict.
Do you remember what your ultimate destiny is? Not to be focused only on this life, but to be prepared for the next life. One day this world will end, just as one day your life will end. And you need to be prepared for that future.
And that preparation comes from, ‘exercise in Godliness.’
Exercise is the repetition of motion or action which builds up and tones and hones the body. Godliness is your spiritual life.
Therefore, your mandate is to tone up, hone up, your spiritual attributes, your spiritual life. And there is only one way to do that. Study, listen, learn, and grow up in your spiritual life. That comes from doctrine, not from fables, not from the opinions of this world.
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