Progressing in Godliness

I couple times a month I get together with some young, emerging leaders at Delta to do some leadership development training. One of our meetings is a late night one at a local pub where we just open the scriptures and read and work through the pastoral epistles (1 & 2 Timothy & Titus). Last night we were in 1 Timothy 4 and we began talking about godliness and how you can "track" your progress in godliness (see 1 Timothy 4:15). It was good discussion and discovery and though it would be good to share here.

First, we need to define "godliness." What does that mean? In keeping with the theme of 1 Timothy 4, I think one good simple definition of godliness is "making our doctrine visible by living like Jesus." Paul talks much about the need for Jesus-centered doctrine. To Paul, there are two types of teachers: false ones and gospel-centered ones. False ones teach lies based on their own preferences, need for control & power, and fear of man. Gospel-centered ones talk about Jesus...all the time. So when we talk about godliness, we must remember that the "goal" is Jesus Himself. We are to be holy as he is holy and as God's children, we are to become like Him. So godliness must mean that as we live our lives as Christ-followers, we must begin to respond to life (thoughts, words, actions, & attitudes) just like Jesus did.

But, how do we measure our progress in that? Just how do we watch ourselves? It can't be through the spiritual disciplines or ministry involvement. If we use those good things as "benchmarks" we've just become religion-centered and ceased to be gospel-centered. Those things need to be kept in the proper perspective as "tools" to become more like Jesus.

Here's how I think we watch & measure our progression in godliness: we think of ourselves less. I think it's all about humility. This is what the Lord requires of us in Micah 6:8. This should be our response to the work of Jesus in our lives according to Romans 11:20. This is what we are called to in becoming like Jesus in Philippians 2:3-8. Isn't this what faith requires in the first place? To put our "faith, hope, & love" in Jesus and Jesus alone, we must admit that we're not God, that our pride is not good, and we must humbly admit that we have a need for Savior to rescue us from ourselves and our sin. Sin, by definition, is pride. For when we sin, we are telling God that we can do things on our own and don't need Him or His rules or design.

So here are some practical questions to ask yourself to track your growth in godliness:

• Do I think more about Jesus today than I did a six months or a year ago?
• Am I trying to filter everything through the lens of the gospel?
• Do I enjoy serving other people more today?
• Do I cheerfully give?
• Am I more willing to be flexible with my time so I can serve others?
• Am I quicker to repent when I sin?
• Am I quicker to forgive when I'm sinned against?

Progressing in godliness is not "microwave" - you can't track it by minutes or days or weeks. Progressing in godliness is more like a "crock pot" - you need months, seasons, and years to see growth (or lack of growth). It takes time, training, intentionality, hard work, honesty, transparency, accountability, and encouragement. It's also a community project. You can't grow on your own. People must speak into your life.

Praying for you progress (and mine)...

Ryan