Godliness

written by Laura

Ok, stick with me here. I am really not trying to give the “Sunday school” answer that I want to be more like Jesus this year, although I do. I do have other resolutions and goals for 2013 that I wrote down last week, and the grand total came to 28 goals (not joking). I know myself enough to know that there is no way that I am going to EVER even remember what the 28 things are, much less be accountable to THAT many things.

My little man has been sick and I have been cooped up taking care of him for the majority of 2013 thus far. So, if my goals for this year were being a hermit, accurately measuring out multiple medicines with very little sleep, and having an unrivaled pile of dirty laundry then I would say that I have succeeded! 

He and I stayed home from church this Sunday as I always hope others do when their children are sick and it’s flu season (soapbox over). He went down for a nap, and I had a quiet moment with my re-warmed coffee. I really wanted my house to be clean, but did not really have the energy at the moment, so I decided to take advantage and listen to a podcast sermon. I settled on one from our church home when we lived in Memphis, Fellowship Memphis. I would really love for you to listen if you can, because it was really like a breath of fresh air for me. And then you will see why I picked this as my word!

If you would like to listen, it’s free. Go to iTunes store and search “Fellowship Memphis” under podcasts. The name of this one is Godliness: A New Year’s Resolution from December 30, 2012 by Bryan Loritts. It is based out of 1 Timothy 4:6-10.

If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather 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. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

But regardless of whether or not you listen to the sermon, I will give you the “Laura's Cliff notes” version to better illustrate why I picked this as my word for the year. Bryan Loritts defines Godliness as—

“Consistent character that is consistent with the character of God.”

Godliness isn’t something that will ever be completely achieved because we are not God, but we hope to be able to look back over a year and say, “I look a little more like Him this year.” It is something that has eternal value.

He emphasizes that Godliness requires hard work. We don’t earn our salvation; that was finished by Jesus. God does allow us to labor with Him, by His grace. Bryan says that we look at successful people, athletes and musicians, admiring how skilled they are and how hard they work, but we want godliness by osmosis without having to actually DO anything. I know this is true of me, I would love to grow in godliness while vegging out, watching Netflix documentaries, and eating cookie dough, but I haven’t seen that to be the usual pattern. 

Bryan challenges us to ask ourselves, “What is my motivation for resolutions?”

Our resolutions can either be for our own glory and recognition, worshiping the idol of our image and ourselves, or they can be for God’s glory and the Gospel of Christ. He is not saying by any means that resolutions are inherently evil, but they are often all about us, right?

Again, it all comes down to a heart issue. The same goal (for example: running) can be either something to exalt yourself and make you look really cute in your jeggings, or it can be to train your body that is God’s temple to be healthier to serve and love those he has put in your life. I am not saying I have this all figured out or always have the right motives. Far from it! Remember my 28 goals for the year, haha!

So I do want to incorporate some spiritual disciplines into my life this year, but I am intentionally not giving you my “to-do” list. I am a very good list maker, but not always a good list-follower. And sometimes, at least to me, a list implies something that is a one-time check off, and I am not thinking that godliness fits into that category. It is good to have some tangible measures of how you are doing to be accountable, but I want you just to sit and reflect a little before you get to the “doing.” I pray that whatever I “do” this year will be out of an overflow of Christ’s love for me. To focus on what He has done, not what I will do.

I want you to spend some time with the Lord, (ideally with a fresh cup of coffee, unlike mine) and ask Him how you might work with Him this year to encourage spiritual growth. Seek godliness with me this year. Not from a motivation of trying to earn his love, but remembering that, if you are in Christ, you have been RESCUED from the dominion of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of His beloved son. He is our hope; he is our Savior. May those never be just words without their weight.