Are you struggling in some way? Facing any difficult issues in your family? Needing a reminder of God’s goodness in your life? Most of us can probably quickly identify in our mind whatever that current struggle is for us.
In our family, while we feel more blessed than ever, there have been multiple small and large scale difficulties in recent weeks. In facing these things, I was reminded of Paul’s words to Timothy about the value and benefits of godliness, which only comes as a result of the gospel at work in our hearts.
Think about this… How do the unsaved deal with all the trials of this world without faith in Christ? Where do the lost turn for comfort, peace, and hope when the storms of life come?
And why do many Christians who have been promised victory often respond in the exact same ways?
Life without Christ is a life without the hope and promise of something more, something better, and the ultimate redemption of this world and its brokenness.
As Christians, God has given us hope to see life and all its struggles through an updated gospel lens. Our faith gives us guidance, and as a result, it affects how we live our daily lives. Paul refers to this lifestyle repeatedly as “godliness.”
As a Christian family, it’s imperative that we prioritize teaching and practicing godliness over goodness in our home. Here are 3 reasons why.
1. There is NO BETTER OPTION than Godliness.
I Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
While Paul doesn’t dismiss the value of bodily exercise, he says that when it’s compared to the spiritual exercise of godliness, there’s really no comparison at all. This is also why he said in I Timothy 4:7 to “exercise thyself rather unto godliness.”
A godly life of living for Jesus is a life still filled with struggle and pain, but it’s also a life filled with love and peace through our updated lens. It’s the best life that can possibly be lived, and one that our children are sure to notice, as we strive to invest this life fully into the next.
There’s no replacement for godliness that Paul says benefits us on both sides of eternity. Only those who know Jesus personally and are in pursuit of becoming more like him can fully understand this. Paul clearly understood this when he said “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
2. There is NO HEALTHIER OPTION than Godliness.
I Timothy 6:3 refers to “The doctrine which is according to godliness.”
Not only does the Bible command godliness because it’s right for the believer. The secular world of medicine supports the biblical fact that living a godly life with freedom from worry, bitterness, anxiety, and regret is a much healthier way to live. Freedom from such things comes as a result of a life filled with the fruit of the Spirit—godliness at its finest.
One such example of many is the simple act of true forgiveness and its life-giving effects.
“Forgiveness is a characteristic that not only makes the best Christians, but also the healthiest, happiest, and most relationally successful people in life, including our children.”
According to a Johns Hopkins Medicine article, “Forgiveness: Your Health Depends On It”:
“Studies have found that the act of forgiveness can reap huge rewards for your health, lowering the risk of heart attack; improving cholesterol levels and sleep; and reducing pain, blood pressure, and levels of anxiety, depression and stress. And research points to an increase in the forgiveness-health connection as you age… Chronic anger puts you into a fight-or-flight mode, which results in numerous changes in heart rate, blood pressure and immune response. Those changes, then, increase the risk of depression, heart disease and diabetes, among other conditions. Forgiveness, however, calms stress levels, leading to improved health.”
3. There is NO HAPPIER OPTION than Godliness.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. I Timothy 6:6
A Christian who is pursuing godliness will not find their primary happiness in the things or circumstances of this life. They will see far beyond them.
Hebrews 13:5 reminds us to “be content… for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” True godliness brings about a contentment that the world cannot understand or explain, even when things in life aren’t going right.
Christians are not immune from suffering, but they are not infatuated with their suffering either. Because they understand that it is a part of a much bigger story not their own.
There is peace and contentment in knowing that the end of the story is not ours to write (or ours to “right” either). Through godliness, we see that our story is about God’s glory, not our own.
This is how 1 Peter 2:23 could say of Jesus that “when he was reviled, (he) reviled not again… but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.” And how Romans 8:28 reminds us that “all things work together for good to those who love God.”
Never forget, that the greatest way to raise a godly child is to be a godly parent.
Help your children see through you that there’s no better, healthier, or happier life than the one lived with the godliness of Christ at the center.
- How are you doing at demonstrating godliness for your children through your own life?
- Whatever your current struggle is, how could you use it as a testimony to your children of God’s grace in your life as he develops greater godliness in you?
- And how can you help develop the lens of personal godliness in your children as well?
As a believer, through godliness, you’ve been promised victory on the front end of the battle you’re facing today. Live in that victory, don’t forfeit it.
