A Godliness Workout: Part 2
1 Timothy 5:22
“Keep yourself pure” - 1 Timothy 5:22
“If we want to be known for our godliness and be attractive to others for our purity, it doesn't just happen, it has to be taught’ says Stormie Omartian.
The teaching comes with total submission to God and His word. We saw a few practices in godliness in Part 1.
A quiet time routine
Simple practices in godliness
Giving to God
Here, we continue with a few more habits of devotion. You may want to choose one or a few to try out or add to your routines in godliness.
1. Praying continuously
Yesterday at school, we made a food map, each child drew things they ate for dinner and since we had children from Pakistan, Japan, Cambodia and China, it looked like a wonderful celebration of cultures. When we finished, I quietly thanked God in my heart for this session which was a fun learning experience.
When a discussion seemed to be turning into an argument I asked God in my heart to help calm the situation- and He did!
He calms the storm to a whisper.
Psalm 107:29
‘Thank you, Jesus’ and ‘Help me Lord’ are the prayers I pray the most, through the day.
Maintaining a prayer journal is one way to keep track of prayers. Having a specific time to pray reminds us to talk to God when we are having a tight schedule.
2. A life of worship and praise
Luke 2:36 and 37 tell us about Anna’s life of worship. She had been widowed after just 7 years of married life. When we meet her in the story we see that she ‘worshiped God night and day, fasting and praying’.
Writer and speaker Elizabeth George writes about her family’s fast like this-
"We as a family cease all unnecessary spending for a whole month. That is our fast. It is so refreshing, like taking a deep, satisfying breath of fresh air. It opens our eyes to the needs of others. It fosters a bare-bones, clear headed, frugal approach to life’.
“You can say grace before meals- all right. But I say grace before sketching, painting, swimming, walking, playing, dancing and grace every time I dip my pen in ink” says G K Chesterton.
Blind hymn writer Fanny Crossby is said to have prayed each time she wrote a hymn. Is it any wonder that all her hymns continue to touch hearts and are sung around the world years after they were written?
‘Perfect submission, perfect delight, This is my story’- she writes.
I like to choose 1 or 2 verses from my time with the Lord to carry with me through the day. I often share it with my children and with friends when I talk to them, meet them or text them. Here is mine from today:
“Your attitude should be that of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5 NIV)
And
Imitate Jesus a phrase from Ephesians 5:1
Then I listed out some attitudes I could imitate- patience, love, kindness, humility, to forgive.
3. Bible Study websites and Apps
Shobana ,my niece and a Bible teacher, writes ‘I use an app for a Lecto Divina contemplative Bible devotion every morning. The app is called Lecto 365 and I usually listen to it on my phone. It has moments to breathe, pause, pray, guide you through a praise passage, and goes over some verses a day.’
Mona, my friend, has the Youversion Bible app on her phone and enjoys their Bible reading plans. It is ‘God’s Word in your fingertips!’
If you are looking for a place to study God’s word with a group of women, do check out www.bsfinternational.org for a class close to you.
I have started watching a 30 day study on Joy by Kay Warren. Her daily videos are just 2-3 min long. You can check it out at www.KayWarren.com/Devotion
Kay says that there are more than 500 references to joy, delight, praise, rejoicing and laughter in the Bible.
Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God has called us to a holy life.
Prayerfully let us consider one habit to incorporate or start today.