- Christ's own unique glory (excellence of His Being/His attributes) and virtue (excellence of His deeds) draw us to know Him and to live a Godly life in Him. We "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18) by feeding on God's Word and by imitating Him. Godliness is Christlikeness. What we know/believe will dictate what we say and what we do. That's why it's so important for us to know the right Jesus of the Bible and to know God's Word. "It is impossible to practice godliness without a constant, consistent and balanced intake of the Word of God in our lives." (Jerry Bridges) "The difference between worldliness and godliness is a renewed mind." (Erwin W. Lutzer) Godliness is "a genuine reverence toward God that governs one's attitude toward every aspect of life." (from my NIV Bible commentary) "Godliness is devotion to God which results in a life that is pleasing to him." (Jerry Bridges) "It (Godliness in Greek) comes from two words: well and to worship. A godly person worships well. He directs his worship rightly...Godliness is true and real spiritual relation to God. Religion relates more to outward acts of religious observance or ceremony. Godliness, on the other hand, cherishes the will of God." (Dr. Grant C. Richison)
- Since God has granted us everything we ever need for our Christian life & Godliness, there is no excuse whatsoever for not living vibrant, Godly lives or for not growing in Christlikeness. "We may have as much of God as we will. Christ puts the key of the treasure-chamber into our hand, and bids us take all that we want. If a man is admitted into the bullion vault of a bank and told to help himself, and comes out with one cent, whose fault is it that he is poor?” (Alexander Maclaren) "If the way of godliness is rejected, so is the hope of eternal life. So Peter forbids us to turn our faith into a fire insurance policy for escaping hell while our lives remain unchanged. The hope and the way of godliness stand or fall together." (John Piper) The same power that raised Christ from the dead is presently at work in our lives. Are we living like heirs of the Almighty God or like paupers? It's a tragedy when we believers fail to live according to the hope, riches, and power we possess in Christ.
- God gives us great & precious promises on which we may stand. He gives us the spiritual ability to participate in the divine nature (the nature that characterizes God such as holiness, goodness, love, and grace) by His Holy Spirit's indwelling. Because of this new nature in Christ, we have escaped the (moral) corruption in the world caused by evil desires. Is this truth evident to all by our Godly lives? Yahweh Jireh provides everything including His divine power for us to live a Godly life; that's God's part. God empowers, equips, and enables us but we must cooperate (with the promptings of the Holy Spirit), obey, and work at it (in 2 Peter 1:5, Peter uses the phrase, "... make every effort to...). God will not make us Christlike against our will or without our involvement. It requires desire, determination, and discipline on our part. God gives us the gift of choice for a reason. Here we see a beautiful interplay between God's sovereignty and human responsibility. We are called to put our faith into action and to live the way God wants us to. We are called to do good deeds because we have been saved, not in order to be saved.
- Prayer: Father, thank You for providing everything I ever need to live a Godly life for You! Please help me to never take my spiritual wealth that I have in Christ for granted. Please remind me to find hope and comfort in Your precious promises whenever I get discouraged. Please continually fill me with Your Holy Spirit and mold me into Christlikeness. Be glorified and magnified in my life always! In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.
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