Peter tells us that God has given us EVERYTHING we need to live a godly life (2 Peter 1:3). We are to add godliness to our perseverance (2 Peter 1:6).
Paul tells us that God’s salvation teaches us to say “NO” to all ungodliness (Titus 2:11-12), and that we are to “exercise ourselves towards godliness one choice at a time (1 Timothy 4:7-8).
Vine defines godliness as, “piety, which, is characterized by two parts – First, there is the “God-ward attitude” of “reverence and respect” and second, “there is a wanting to do what is pleasing” to God, as the “duty” that we owe Him.
When we have the proper God-ward attitude of reverence and respect, it will be reflected in everything that we do – how we talk, how we give, how we love, how we think, how we feel, how we act and how we react.
Godliness is a process that does not happen over-night. It requires us to have our minds set on spiritual matters (Romans 8:5-6); it requires determined effort (2 Peter 1:5); and is characterized by a zeal for good works (Titus 2:14).
“Being regarded as godly is one of the highest compliments a practicing Christian can receive. (Jerry Bridges).
We should pray for conditions favorable to godliness. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
Father God, thank You for giving us everything we need to live a godly life. Please help us to exercise the courage, effort and time that You have already provided. In Jesus’ name Amen.
Philippians 3:8-16 – 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! 12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. — 15 Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 16 But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.
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