God is working this purpose outAs year succeeds to year;God is working this purpose out,And the time is drawing near;Nearer and nearer draws the time,The time that shall surely be,When the earth shall be filled with the glory of GodAs the waters cover the sea.

When you read the apostle Paul’s letters, it’s clear that some of his favorite metaphors and analogies for the Christian life come from the realm of athletics. For example, in Philippians, he speaks of pressing on like a runner toward the goal of knowing Christ (3:14). Near the end of his life, he describes his ministry as one in which he “fought the good fight” and “finished the race” (2 Tim. 4:7). And in 1 Corinthians 9:25–27, Paul draws a parallel—one that is worth our time and attention—between the self-control and discipline needed for both athletic competition and the Christian life.

In 1 Timothy 6:11, Paul urges Timothy to “pursue” a number of qualities, one of which is eusebeia, translated “godliness.” This is a term that Paul uses frequently in the letter. (See 2:2, 3:16, 4:7, and 6:6.) It describes a state of spiritual fitness, and it is expressive of another English word that has largely fallen out of fashion: piety.