So what is godliness anyway? And why godliness? Godliness is conforming to the laws of and wishes of God or to have a religious character. There are many benefits to godliness since it holds promises for our life today and our life to come.
Are you willing to work until it hurts to pursue godliness? Who plays sports? How often do you practice? Can you honestly say you give that much effort to training yourself to be more godly? After all, godliness is grounded in the work of Christ.
Now there's a difference between true and fake godliness. Godliness is not just something to see on the outside, its not something you do to impress others. You get no person benefit from fake godliness, nor does it help you in your life. The real benefits come with true godliness. True godliness will bring help with decision making, avoiding sin, bringing you closer to God, joy from walking with God and wisdom to help others, not to mention eternal blessings of ruling with Christ in the new heaven and earth. So do you think that if you do good things you will become more godly? Actually, godliness results in works...good works do not produce godliness. We have to ground ourselves in the work of Jesus and what he did for us. In doing that, reflecting, meditating, building your life on his truth that produces godliness. Good works will flow from the life of one rooted in godliness through the work of Jesus.
Now what happens when you are plugging along, doing the godly thing and you just keep getting slammed by the world. Unappreciated. Disrespected. Expectation that since you are the good Christian person you will always be there. You feel used. You feel abused. You feel taken advantage of. Suddenly this godly stuff doesn't look so cool anymore and you feel like losing your religion over it!
What do you do when you get overwhelmed? I've learned to looked to the word. It's all here. Seriously. This situation is no different.
(READ Titus 3:1-8 "Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Saviour and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and newing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds.")
We have to stand in God's grace. We wonder why do we continue to do these things for people and go out of our way in the name of godliness? Because it's not just about us. The example we are making in our godliness speaks volumes. The impact you make with one good deed can last on in the lives of so many. Ever heard the term "One good deed deserves another"? You are impacting others with your godliness whether you know it or not.
(READ 2 Timothy 2:1-2 "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.")
Your behaviors (negative or positive) radiate on those around you. Think about the example you wanna make for your little sister or big brother, or mom or dad, grandma or uncle. Your godliness could bring him or her to closer to Christ, so don't give up on it when you get disappointed in a situation.
But how do you endure?
(READ 2 Timothy 2:3-10 "Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned. For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.")
Let me ask you a question, what do you want to be when you get out of school?
Wanna be in the army?
Play pro football?
Raise sugar cane?
Be an engineer?
A doctor or nurse?
So when you lose a patient or have a bad season or lose a battle on the front lines...you gonna just give up? No. Why? Because it's your life. It's your job. It's your lively hood. You depend on it. your godliness should be no different. Will you know it all on day one? No. Will you ever know it all? NO. It takes continued hard work and endurance but the rewards are so worth it.
(READ 2 Timothy 2:11-13 "It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.")
Just remember the end result is endurance.
Always keep the faith.
Here is the perfect example of how your actions can impact the actions of others.
Acts of Kindness Video (Click on this link to view it)
Always stay faithful in your godliness even when you feel like losing hope. When you think no one notices...they do. Be the chance in someone's life today.
Source Credits: Life Focus Studies by Lifeway
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