Thought For Today - May 14
 Oh! To Be Godly!
By: Robert A. Searles

    "But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him." Psalm 4: 3.

    What does it mean to be godly? To be godly means to be somewhat like God, to take on some of the characteristics of God. In the beginning God made man in his image, to be like him, but because of sin, man fell, and has come short of the likeness of God. But through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, man has been redeemed and reconciled to God on an individual basis, providing that the individual will accept it as a free gift from God.

 "As many as received him, to them gave he power ( or authority) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" John 1: 12.  As a child of God, we are in the family of God and godly.

    When we are born again into the family of God and become godly, then the Lord sets us apart from every other creature. God puts upon us his shield of love and protection, and we find ourselves in the favor of God. God gives us special work and tasks to perform for his glory. He cleanses us on the inside, and makes us a fit house or vessel in which he can live and work.  Since we who are godly are set apart ,and in favor with God ,and under his shield of love and protection, and since we are his special workmen, assigned a special job for his glory, God will give us extra special attention when we call unto him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  

"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation....", 2 Peter 2: 9.

    Knowing that by grace we are saved through faith ,and having put on godliness by God's grace, and knowing that we are God's special vessels for his honor, we ought to stand in awe and sin not. We ought to come before God with such reverence and respect that in his presence we would be speechless and spellbound to behold his glory, if it were not for the fact that he gives the privilege to come boldly before the throne of grace. When we stand before God, we ought to take off our shoes, as it were, because the place where we stand is holy ground. 

The family dinning room becomes holy ground when the family is gathered to enjoy God's bountiful blessing when we meet with God there, and the table becomes a sacred altar when we offer our gratitude and offer ourselves before God. Our bed becomes a holy place when we lie upon it and commune with God from our hearts in the long night hours.

    Because we have become the children of God, and made godly in him; and because we are set apart to receive his special favor; and because we are recipients of his great love and salvation; and because we are called out of the world to perform special tasks for him; we ought to be more than anxious to offer the sacrifice of righteousness, and die daily to ourselves, and abandon ourselves completely to God, and put our trust in him.  

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God thou wilt not despise." Psalm 51: 17.

  "By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." "But to do well and to communicate forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." Heb 13: 15, 16.

    We should be continually praising God with our lips. Open wide your mouth and let the words flow out loud and clear from your heart: blessed be the name of the Lord; praise God from whom all blessing flow; glory to God in the highest. This is a sacrifice that God is pleased with-then, it follows with good works and service.

    "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service." Rom 12:1 

 If we have given our bodies over to God as a living sacrifice, then we should have no problem opening wide our mouths in praise of God and in following it up with good works.

    "And the scribe said unto him, well, master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God, and there is none other but he, and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul and with all strength and to love his neighbor as himself is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." Mark 12: 32, 33.

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