Truth is ancient; it's grey hairs may make it venerable;
it comes from Him who is the ancient of days. --Thomas Watson

 

30 October, 2007   comments: (0) Classic Devotion   Have You Set Your Mind on True Godliness?    Quoting Willem Teellinck . . . True godliness shows itself in resolve, and doing your utmost to put that resolve in effect (2 Cor 5:9, Acts 24:16). Surely, it is only mocking God when someone insists that he has a sincere and wholehearted intention to live a godly life and a determination to do so yet at the same time does not take any trouble and is not zealous to live a godly life here and now! If someone announced that from this moment on he will take up [career endeavors in] surgery or the sale of goods and yet day after day you see him do nothing about it, would anyone put stock in his words? Similarly, whoever wants to be regarded as a godly person must not only resolve to live a godly life but must do his utmost to demonstrate that he esteems godliness as his greatest gain. Now this exercise consists of three parts: 1. We must abstain from and avoid everything that can impede us in the practice of godliness. This was godly David's practice: "I have refrained my feet from every way, that I might keep thy word." (Psalm 119:101) By nature, man is so [focussed] that he will, to the best of his ability, endeavor to avoid everything that hinders his reaching a desired goal. We see this clearly in misers, lovers, glory seekers, and all worldly people, once they earnestly set their minds on something. The weightier and more important the matter is, the more zeal and foresight they use to preclude or avoid whatever may hinder them. Since to the godly, godliness means the greatest gain and the most important work, they try most diligently to anticipate and ward off every obstacle in their path. The man who boasts that he earnestly intends to practice godliness, while at the same time shows no evidence that he abstains from or avoids the hindrances and obstacles to godliness, clearly shows that his intentions are not genuine and that his resolves are merely feigned. Therefore, everyone who wants to demonstrate that he is a godly person should abstain as much as possible from and avoid all hindrances and obstacles to godliness. The chief obstacles and hindrances to true godliness will be discussed in detail as this work continues, for we are obliged to investigate this further in its due place. 2. We must also make use of and strive after everything that can be useful in the practice of godliness. Godly David exerted himself greatly in every respect and availed himself of all known means and tried to add to these, thus enabling him to take hold of and advance in true godliness (see Psalm 119). Human nature is like that. We see that newborn babes by nature clamor for milk that they can feed and strengthen them. Everyday we see the same thing with worldly men: When they have set their minds on something, they leave no stone unturned and use every means to achieve their goal. If they do not succeed in one technique, they try another. If it happens that many means are needed, they take hold of them all in order that they may reach their goal. If worldly men do this now to obtain some puny thing in the world that perishes with use, should not God's children make much more use of every means to advance in true godliness, which brings great gain and eternal satisfaction? In just this way, does not he who makes no effort and neglects the zealous use of the means that can strengthen him in true godliness show openly that he does not genuinely hold godliness as his greatest gain? Therefore, everyone who would pass for a truly godly person should make diligent use of every means that can promote godliness. The chief means to that end are shown [elsewhere in this book], to which the reader is referred. 3. We must therefore begin to practice all this, not in our own strength, which means absolutely nothing, but in the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is the strength of our life and by whom we can do all things. See how the godly Paul counsels us: "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." (Ephesians 6:10). This was his own practice, as it was of all the godly in his time. He therefore says, "For we are his circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh" (Philippians 3:3). Take note that before we believed we were powerless and totally unable to do good, and after we believe we are not "sufficient [able] of ourselves to think any thing as of our selves; but our sufficiency [ability] is of God" (2 Corinthians 3:5). Therefore, the good that is in us through regeneration serves only to make us more and more inclined to expect and cultivate the good help and power of God. He strengthens us and works all our works for us, even he who "is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8). Take careful note of this, for surely many a man begins the practice of godliness and then gives up in discouragement and withdraws from his work. Since he began it in his own strength, he makes a mess of things. It's exactly the same thing as when a little child, in his own strength, wants to build a big castle. It is a fact that our own strength means nothing in the building up of the Christian life. Unless the power of the Almighty comes upon us, we cannot build anything that will last. That is why we call it godliness; it reminds us that without God, and his holy help we would never be able to accomplish this work. How the devil tries to keep this fact hidden from the eyes of men! That is why there are found everywhere so many who now and then put on holy airs as if they henceforth want to be godly, but you see after only a short time that they have returned to the world, having so very quickly lost interest. This happens because they began in their own strength; therefore, they found their work too much for them and quickly tired because they found no more joy in it. Therefore, all students of true godliness who wish to begin this work well and truly wish to bring it to completion must renounce their own strength. They must surrender themselves entirely to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is "the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 2:2) that they may be strengthened through him to hold fast to their good resolutions, to put them into practice, and, indeed, to bring them to full effect. We will [later explain] how the Lord Jesus brings this about in those who deny themselves and cast themselves upon him. All who wish to practice true godliness thoroughly, to their comfort, are advised to take particular notice of what is written there. From:  The Path of True Godliness, Year 1621   Posted by: Jim B.   Link: http://www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/id.2.pid.810   Be the first to post a comment about this article        Home  |   About  |  Videos   |  Calvinism