My mother explained contentment to me in an odd way. She
often said, “We must need it or we
wouldn’t be getting it.” As a teen, that usually annoyed me, but finally I
got it. She trusted the sovereignty of God to the point that she could accept
whatever came her way as from His hand — and He knew what was best for her.
Biblical truth often comes the same way — in an odd
package. Paul writes to Timothy so he “may
know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of
the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15) At
this, one might expect him to go on with a list of behaviors, but he does not.
He explains godliness like this:
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)
This morning, I got
it. Godliness is not about what I do; it is about what I believe — because what
I believe governs what I do!
Jesus is God in
human flesh, demonstrated to be so by the Holy Spirit, observed by angels,
declared as such throughout the nations, believed throughout the world, and
lifted to heaven. Believing that changed my life. Instead of serving my own
needs and desires, I put my trust in this marvel of a man who is God. Because
He is who He is, does miracles, rose from the dead and now rules everything, I
think differently. That new way of thinking affects everything that I do.
Paul adds what the
Holy Spirit revealed to him: in the later days, many will depart from believing
this statement about Jesus Christ. They will follow the teaching of demons and
liars even in ordinary things like what to eat and whether to get married or
not. He told Timothy to have nothing to do with “silly myths” but train himself
for godliness. In this context that means to be firm in the faith because believing
the truth produces godly behavior! He says:
For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope
set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who
believe. (1 Timothy 4:10)
We do what we do
because we believe what we believe. This works for Christians but also
followers of false teaching. If my hope is in Christ, I will proclaim Him. If
my hope is in my church, or myself, my proclamations will reveal that. Paul
told Timothy to immerse himself “in these
teachings” that he might be “an
example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” The truths of
Scripture are what make my talking, behavior, love, faith and purity what God
wants it to be — godly.
Is godliness really
a mystery? It seems common sense to say that what a person believes governs
their actions. If this principle was given the place it deserves, perhaps our
world would be more apt to connect the dots between how people behave and the
reality that “In later times some will
depart from the faith” by believing lies and abandoning the most amazing
truth of all — that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, lived a sinless life, was
crucified and put in a tomb, rose from the dead, was seen by hundreds, ascended
into heaven and now is seated on the throne in glory.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Lord Jesus, this is
so significant that I’m convinced the mystery of evil in our world can only be
explained the same way — far too many people have traded the truth about
godliness for a lie, even to the point that few people are even interested in
being godly, never mind becoming godly by putting their faith in You.
Today’s thankful list . . .
Fellowship with a couple of dear friends.
Sunny days and cool nights.
The fun of a cat that brings her owner dead mice as a
gift.
Email so quilting buddies can exchange photos of their
projects.
Tea and cookies.
Fresh apples.