Godliness
We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered Himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people He can be proud of, energetic in goodness (Titus 2:12-14).
As we move through day two of our 40-day soul fast, I want to talk to you about the second characteristic of an authentic person: Godliness. Godliness begins with the ’God-likeness’ of your thoughts - the thoughts that govern your mind. It begins by putting on the mind of Christ.
As Paul wrote the Corinthians, "Examine your motives, test your heart!" (1 Cor. 11:27). Make sure everything you say, do, think, and choose is lined up with who it is you truly want to be. Check your heart. Clean house by sweeping up any impure motives or stray intentions. Pay attention to how the things you harbor within your heart affect your words and behaviors - and equally important, how your words, habits, and behaviors affect the life of your soul.
Fasting or abstinence is not an end in itself, but rather a door that is opened to us for the purpose of godly living.
I encourage you today to do a thorough study of the word godliness and meditate on all it implies. Then ask yourself where you are falling short of it. Eliminate those things that are not ’adding to your faith’ and supplement those key things Peter listed that will ’have your life on a firm footing’ (2 Pet. 1:10)!
True godliness does not turn men out of the world, but enables them to live better in it and excites their endeavors to mend it. -William Penn
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