Aim for godliness in your life

(1 Timothy 6:11 – Aim for godliness in your life)

A life without an aim is wasted. We have been put on this earth to do something. Every person has a unique set of skills, knowledge, attitudes and more that can enable them to achieve something of value, even greatness.

But too many wander this world without an aim in their lives. They muddle from one thing to the next feeling unfulfilled and wondering why they are not happy.

Others are aiming at the wrong things and also find themselves unfulfilled. They seek assets, power, influence, money, and the treasures of this world. But they find it is not enough because there is no “enough” when seeking those things. So, what should we do?

Aim for godliness in your life

The scripture I am looking at today is quite clear. You should aim for godliness in your life. Here is what it tells us.

But as for you, man of God, shun all this; aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. (1 Timothy 6:11)

All of these attributes relate to godliness in one form or another. When your goal is to live and seek these things, there is a completeness and satisfaction that cannot be had in any other way. This is why it is important to aim at godliness in your life.

Consider those who chase after physical perfection and well-being. They spend hours at the gym, or exercising, or at beauty parlours, or plastic surgeons. They are seeking to enhance their body and their physical appearance in some way that they think is valuable.

The various body image industries play on these things too. They advertise and focus on how it will improve your self-esteem, or how it will change the way others react to and with you.

But all of these changes in body image only touch the outside of who you are. They do not change who you are in your heart. They affect your physical appearance, but not your spiritual, psychological, or emotional being.

And the truth of the matter is that satisfaction does not come from the outside in. Finding satisfaction, peace, control, and all of the things the body image industries promote can only come from within.

Godliness changes people from within

This is why you should aim for godliness in your life. Godliness works on the inner person and it changes who you think you are. It affects the heart and mind so that you see yourself and the rest of the world differently.

When you aim for godliness in your life, you aim for a better change than can be achieved through physical alterations. This is what the scripture also has to say about the greater value received when you aim for godliness in your life.

7 Have nothing to do with godless and silly myths. Train yourself in godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:7-9)

There are many godless and silly myths in the body enhancement programs of the world. Some claim that if you take certain supplements or eat certain foods that the fat will burn off without lifting a finger. And that is apart from the 1,001 scams out there that I am sure you have seen in emails!

What rubbish! Sustainable changes to body image takes work and shortcuts do not help.

And note that the scripture does say that bodily training is of SOME value. It doesn’t reject that there are benefits because being fitter and healthier is always a good thing.

However, when you aim for godliness in your life it is of vastly greater value. The scripture tells us that to aim for godliness in your life holds promise both now and in the future. It will assist you achieve and receive eternal life with Christ, and that is a goal worth aiming for.

How does godliness change you?

As mentioned, godliness changes you from within. The pursuit of godliness aims to change your heart and mind so that you think and act in the same way as the Lord would do.

Scripture tells us that man was created in the likeness of God. If you consider the word “godliness,” you can see that it reflects that work of Creation. We are aiming at “GOD LI-ke-NESS”

Yes, this is a simplistic way to look at it, but it works. The aim of godliness is to transform Christians into the image of Jesus Christ, who is the image of God the Father. In fact, that is the whole aim of Christianity: to transform us into the image of God.

The working of godliness in our lives begins when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. The process that follows should be like this.

Faith->Repent->Baptism->Receive the Holy Spirit->Walk in the Spirit->Walk in love

This is a very simplistic diagram of the journey we walk as Christians, and there are lots of other pieces that add to this picture and need to be understood. And these are not all necessarily linear. For example, faith follows through the whole of the journey. You always need faith. It is not a once only thing, but is a constant daily, even minute by minute aspect of walking with Christ.

However, these are probably the most important elements needed when you aim for godliness in your life. And when they are applied as you walk you will be changed. It is by following these things and learning about them and how to apply them in your life that you receive the blessings of the Lord.

Aim for godliness in your life and receive the fruits of the Spirit

When we learn to walk in the Spirit we receive the fruits of the Spirit discussed in Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-25)

The fruits of the Spirit do not come until we receive the Holy Spirit and learn to walk in the Spirit.

You will note in verse 24 above that it speaks of those who have crucified the flesh. To crucify the flesh is to overcome the passions, lusts, and desires of the flesh that lead to sin. No person can do this alone. That is why it is important we learn how to walk in the Spirit, as verse 25 tells us.

But you cannot walk in the Spirit if you do not first receive the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit cannot do this work of transformation unless you have first been baptised and understand the freedoms that Christ has given you in baptism. And so on, and so on.

Every part of the process is important if you are to aim for godliness in your life. Nothing can be skipped. There are no shortcuts, and you can’t sneak into the kingdom of God by “climbing through the window.”

When you aim for godliness in your life, you receive these gifts of the fruit of the Spirit. And what amazing gifts they are!

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self control.

Just look at any one of those and compare it to your life, especially one area where you are lacking. For example, do you lose your patience often? Do you suffer from a lack of peace within and the the slightest problem affects your emotional state in negative ways? Are you unable to control yourself in certain circumstances or with certain people?

When you aim for godliness in your life and walk the path of godliness, these things are brought under control.

And that is why Paul stated that to aim for godliness in your life, “…holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” It is through aiming for godliness that you become like Christ and will secure a place in His eternal kingdom.

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