Disciplines

Practicing Godliness

Dr. Mike 2024, Uncategorized , , ,

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.   1 Timothy 4:7-8

What if we pursue godliness with the same intensity as career professionals? As athletes craft their trade. As body builders train themselves for maximum performance.

How would that change your life?

Yet, how many of us are like the weekend athlete? We dream of the opportunity to play like a professional. But are unwilling to commit and pay the price of change. We treat the activity as a hobby and not a life-commitment. Yet is not training for godliness what being an apprentice of Jesus is about?

The challenge many of us may have is capturing a picture of what godliness looks like. Few of us have had healthy role models to emulate. The ones we may have experienced were probably religious zealots. They caused more pain and sorrow in everyone’s life. They were the anti-role models. The encounter with them left us with a bitter taste in our mouth.

But, there are those of us who witness and shared time with godly people. They exemplified the life of the Biblical Jesus. We are most grateful. We had a positive glimpse of the character of God in action.

Yet God doesn’t leave us on our own. When one comes to know the Triune God, Father/Son/Spirit, one slowly discovers a life worth imitating. Though God is invisible, HE leaves HIS markings all around us.

The beauty of creation. The design and operation of the human body. The strategic plan of salvation. Everything around us shows off HIS workmanship. Everything made is a reflection of HIM.

So when we acknowledge humans are made to reflect HIS image, the groundwork is laid. The goal now is to become more like HIM. The question is how?

Enter Jesus Christ. When we study into HIS life, we witness God in the flesh. Jesus stated when you look at HIM you are also looking at our Father God. When one knows Jesus has been resurrected and now lives to intercede for us, we have a high priest to minister us. We also allow the Holy Spirit entrance into our heart. We now have a coach ready to assist us to make godliness real in our life.

How? By practicing God’s ways in the routine of everyday life.

We may start with the basics. Look at how the early church in Acts 2 practiced godliness. They began to train themselves through four basic disciplines. They gain knowledge under the teaching of the apostles. They shared meals together. They fellowship together. They prayed. Over the centuries, different saints also practiced other disciplines found in the Bible. They included meditation, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, fasting, and, silence. There are many more practices than these. These are just a few for one to select from depending how the Spirit is working with you. 

One also needs to be careful and not turn the practice into a legalistic approach to living. Instead, the discipline is a way to attune yourself to God and HIS grace. The process is an indirect way of strengthening one’s relationship with the living God. As one does, one finds themselves slowly becoming more like HIM in character. Iron sharpens iron and one person sharpens another is a Biblical proverb. The same can be said about practicing godliness. The more we hang out with Father/Son/Spirit, the more we will catch HIS ways.

In fact, one of my favorite disciplines is to live under the presence of Jesus and HIS Kingdom in every area of my life. Yes, there are many moments when the reality hits that I haven’t totally surrender my all to HIM. That always reminds me that there is much work HE has yet to do in me. It keeps me humble and appreciating HIS grace on a regular basis. As we surrender each corner of our kingdom, HE continues to share HIS vast richness of life with us each day. Yes we practice every day to be prepared for the moment of truth. For we have learned that practicing godliness is good for daily living and for the life to come.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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Godly Living?

Dr. Mike 2022 , , ,

1 Timothy 4:8

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. ESV

How rewarding is it to live a godly life? What is my return on time and effort to pursue godliness? How does one incrementally grow in godliness? And what is godliness?

There have probably been more books written and sermons given on godliness than I could count. Yet I still struggle with a good, concise definition to share with others. The best I have come up with is this: Godliness is the outer expression of a God-Centered life.

When one’s life is built on the foundation of the Incarnate Triune God, with Jesus Christ being the cornerstone, one’s beliefs, thoughts, and actions are motivated from a heart of glorifying the Creator God.

The desire is to please HIM – to make HIM known – and to reflect his glory with everyone you meet. One’s attitude and behavior begin to resemble the values and priorities of the Biblical God more and more.

As one hangs out with the Triune God, one begins to put on HIS characteristics. The fruit of the Spirit becomes more evident. The heart of God slowly melts away the rough, carnal ridges and replace them with HIS divine attributes. The child begins to grow into the image and likeness of HIS Dad.

Yes, training in godliness benefits one today and leads to a richer life tomorrow. And yes, pain and suffering still attacks even the godly one. But the response follows the lead of Jesus. He suffered and so will we. But through the process, God is glorified. And godliness is centered and focused on that principle. To walk, speak, and commune with our God on a regular, natural basis where HIS divine nature becomes more and more expressive through us is godliness paying tribute to God Almighty.

The glory, honor, and power are always HIS. We are now only the conduits who are given the privilege to share HIM with everyone else. Tomorrow, we will be like HIM because we will see HIM as HE truly IS. But today, this is the best I can do to express what godliness means to me. Yet, however you define godliness, I only hope you experience the same, if not more, of HIS attributes to share with others and live a more, productive, and meaningful life while showering under HIS Divine Nature.

Godliness is HIS expression through you.   

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Author of e-Books

 *  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

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Discipline Yourself

Dr. Mike 2021, Kingdom Paradigms, Life Tools , ,

1 Corinthians 9:25-27

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So, I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

The Holy Spirit shares HIS character with us which includes self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). He provides us with the added resources and support to live the good life. However, we still have to make the choice. Yet how often do we waiver between two opposing options? We know what is the right thing to do but yet our carnal desire seeks the opposite. 

Paul compares the Christian walk to an Olympic event. The Christ-follower is like the athlete being trained to win a race or a boxing match. If you have ever played sports, you know the preliminary practice and training required to prepare the body and mind for actual competition. The Christian life is no different.

One of the life long battles with the self is disciplining the body to pursue godly attitudes and behavior. In our current culture overran with luxury and pampering, many of us are out of shape to enter any type of Olympic event. This is nothing new under the sun. The way our forefathers managed this process is through “the disciplines of grace” as Richard Foster describes in his book “Celebration of Discipline.”   

The disciplines he describes are simple exercises we intentionally put ourselves through for the long-term outcome of subduing the body into subjection of God’s grace. We train ourselves to yield our desires for a more eternal outcome.

For example, I love to eat. And of course, the foods I desire are typically high in calorie, sugar, and other ingredients which in moderation would be OK but in the hands of an addictive personality, very dangerous. To overcome and better manage the urge of gluttony, I turn to the discipline of fasting. Fasting is an old-time tradition that Jesus and his disciples spoke about as the Bible has much to say about its merit. Yet when practiced on a regular basis, science has demonstrated its effectiveness for physical health, and the Bible has shown its importance for spiritual nourishment.

Other disciplines include worship, giving, celebrating, silence, and at least another dozen that one can choose from to better help in managing the carnal desires of the body. The way to choose which discipline one practices most often is to understand one’s character defaults. For example, if friends and family members point out that you may over talk at events, then maybe one could better control the tongue by practicing the discipline of silence. Another example is if one finds it hard to donate money to others without any strings attached, then maybe the discipline of giving would help balance out the selfish heart.

There are many others options to choose from. The point is to make the intentional decision to practice the discipline one needs to better shape the character within you. For life has a way we either discipline ourselves or life will hit us from the outside with such a punch that we may find ourselves the victim of a knockout. I for one would rather be prepared for the unexpected.

The disciplines of grace help me better manage myself through the obstacle’s life throws us each and every day. I am sure you will find like many others who practice these disciplines they would also make a positive difference in your life. Take time this week to investigate. You may be pleasantly surprise in the difference they will make in your life.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Author of e-Books

 *  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

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