Training Myself in Godliness

May 21, 2018

Training Myself in Godliness

“No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.”

1 John 4:12

A few years ago I began serving on the Board for my Homeowners Association. For the most part all is well and good, but there have been some contentious issues. My fight against the temptation to be drawn into these issues has had mixed success. To this end, the Apostle John’s affirmation about our life in Christ is very helpful to me.

The ways of the world’s culture teach us that it is all about winning and losing, tit for tat, and being ever ready with an appropriate rejoinder when we feel slighted, or that the other person may prevail. Over and against the prevailing sentiment of our culture is the truth that all of my thoughts and deeds, all of my words directed at other people, are in reality directed to Christ. Did Jesus really mean this when he said, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” (Matthew 25:40). Yes, I think so.

To conduct myself in the reality that every word that comes out of my mouth, as well as every thought that rattles around in the recesses of mind, are directed to Jesus seems like an impossible mission! This is a good time to remember that it is possible to do with training, what is impossible to do by trying. Authentically seeking the life in Christ as my way of life requires that I submit to appropriate spiritual disciplines so as to “train (myself) in godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7b NRSV).

My Takeaway: A spiritual discipline for me is to fully immerse myself in 1 John 4:12 so that before I speak I will first think, “God lives in me, and his love is brought to full expression in me.”

 Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.