A Walk with God

The Apostle Paul in 1^st Timothy 4:7&8 tells the young preacher,“…train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”  (NLT)

What does it mean to be godly? 

Often I’ve heard it said at funerals of the one being remembered, “she was a godly lady.”  What made her a godly lady?  Was it because she attended church gatherings or read her bible?  Was it because she never cursed?  Maybe it was the kindness she had showed toward others?  Or, could it have been that she was a person who truly followed God and allowed him to lead her life in every way?

In Genesis 5:21-24, Moses describes a guy by the name of Enoch as one who walked with God.  The bible says that he lived 365 years and then God took him away.  The statement, “walked with God” is a powerful one.  How does one walk with God?

When I joined the Army, I had to attend basic training.  It was intense in every aspect.  Though it was basic, it taught us the fundamentals of walking in step with the values of the United States Army.  To veer off of those values meant disciplinary action or a dishonorable discharge.  The training was valuable to every soldier serving the United States.  If one could not be trusted to carrying out the values of the Army, then it puts the entire nation in jeopardy.  Training in loyalty, honor, duty, integrity, respect, selfless service, and personal courage are vital in walking in step with the Army values.

Walking with God is key to developing the godliness God desires.  Without the walk, there are no training opportunities to know how God wants us to live.  Enoch’s walk made headlines in the faith chapter of Hebrews 11.  The Scripture says, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away.  For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.”  Hebrews 11:5 (NIV)

Enoch did two things:  He walked with God and He pleased God.  Godliness is walking and pleasing God.  God wants to walk with us and he desires for each of us to live in his ways, not the worlds.  Paul said in his own defense in Galatians 1:10, “Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” (NLT)  Paul’s values were God’s values.  He wasn’t concerned about being politically correct or ensuring his popularity was intact, rather he was concerned that the gospel of Jesus was being lived out in his life daily and others were able to see it in him God’s values in his walk and in his messages.   

The Apostle Paul writes another message to a younger generation preacher by saying, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”  Godly living is saying YES to a self-controlled life and modeling a spiritual character that conveys to the world that God values are leading our lives, not the latest fads of what is socially accepted.

The Apostle Peter declares that Jesus is coming without warning and the earth will be destroyed. Peter then asked a question in 1^st Peter 3:11, “What kind of people ought you be?  He answers his own questions by saying, “to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God.” Peter is saying that godly living means prepping oneself for the day of the Lord.  The way one does that is by walking, pleasing and living out God’s values that the Spirit enables us to do in Galatians 5:22-24, “But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely… Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.” (The Message)

Walking, pleasing and living out God’s values are key to being godly.  In the pursuit of being godly, here are five ways each of us can be successful in godly living: 

Train your mind to be godly; not worldly:  Colossians 3:1-10, "...set your minds on things above...."  What areas in your life needs to be spiritually worked out?

Keep focused on Jesus, not on self:  Hebrews 12:1-2, "...throw off everything that hinders us...fix our eyes on Jesus...."  How does focus help keep you spiritually fit?

Prayer and positive thinking will help during the long walks:  Philippians 4:4-9, "...in everything, by prayer...think about such things...." Are you more negative or positive?  Why?

Kick the bad habits:  Galatians 2:17-21, "...I no longer live, but Christ lives in me...."  How does Jesus and Spirit help keep the bad habits from coming back?

Be around motivators, not grouches:  Hebrews 10:23-25, "...let us consider how we may spur one another...let us encourage one another...."  On a scale of 1(low)-10 (high) how much does encouragement help you in your life?  Spiritual life?

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian