How does one attempt to live a godly life when you live in a
wicked sinful world? Where there seems
to be evil doings everywhere you turn…people have replaced God with whatever
suits their fancy; God’s name is taken in vain even by those who call
themselves Christian; Sunday services are no longer important; children
disrespect and even hate their parents; killings everywhere; selfish pleasures
come before serving others; there is lack of respect for other and their
belongings; dishonesty is viewed as okay as long as it is for the greater good;
immorality is praised everywhere we go; and you better keep up with the Jones
in order to be happy. This is not
godliness.
Webster’s Dictionary defines godliness as “believing
in God and in the importance of living a moral life”. Godliness in the Bible is basically
an active obedience that springs from a reverent awe of God.
It is virtually impossible to build a godly life without a foundation built on Jesus Christ. To practice godliness, we must first develop a relationship with God, and further practice a life that is pleasing to God. Our view of God and our relationship with Him will be portrayed in our behavior.
2 Peter 1:5-6b “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience;”
Webster dictionary defines patience as ” the capacity, habit or fact of being patient. Patient defined is “being able to remain calm and not become annoyed when waiting for a long time or when dealing with problems or difficult people.
I don’t know about you but since my lightning strike my patience isn’t what it used to be. I am more easily annoyed or frustrated because of my limitations or lack of understanding why things are or aren’t working the way I think they should be. I am pressing towards the mark…
Patience is the ability to walk through a trial, test, or tribulation without getting stressed, anxious, or impatient. That is a difficult trait to learn. Mostly because our physical nature wants everything now. But being impatient will cause us to hinder the work of the Lord or a delay in our blessings.
Patience is the result of our practicing the presence of the Holy Spirit in every aspect of our lives (Galatians 5:22-23). It is perfected when God allows difficulties and trials to remove the rough edges in our lives so that He can mold us into the person He wants us to be.
We need to learn to trust the Lord in all circumstances regardless of the outcome.
2 Peter 1:5-6a ~ “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance…”
Webster defines temperance as “the practice of always controlling your actions, thoughts, or feelings so that you do not eat or drink too much, become too angry, etc.” OR “Moderation in action, thought, or feeling.”
It is not self-control. It is Spirit control. We need the Holy Spirit’s help to maintain control over all areas of our lives.
I enjoy how Christ uses tangible illustrations in Scripture to helps understand what He is trying to teach us. In John 15, Christ uses the example of the relationship of the vine to the branches to portray how our relationship with Christ should be.
Our Christian life can be successful as long as we are obedient to Him. As a result of our obedience, we will be have the following fruit in our lives: we will have abiding love, full joy, love for one another, a personal relationship with Christ, exemplify the fruits of the Spirit, and have an answered prayer.
It has been said that writing something out is the memory
equivalent to reading it seven times.
Research shows that while reading allows for better concentration,
writing things out actually increases understanding and retention.
When we determine to meditate on Scripture we are choosing to allow it to penetrate into our thoughts, minds, and hearts. Committing to spending a little time each day to write out selected scripture passages will aid in penetrating God’s Word deep in your heart.
What is
Scripture Journaling?
2 Timothy 2:15 says “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Studying your Bible is more than simply reading it every day. It is purposefully meditating upon specific passages, thinking about its meaning, and how you can apply it to your life.
Scripture Journaling is simply keeping a record of the
spiritual lessons you learn as you study the Scriptures.
What Items are
needed?
Monthly Scripture Journaling Plan
Spiral Notebook or 3 ring binder with loose leaf
paper
Pen
The easiest way to begin Scripture Journaling is to print
out a monthly Scripture plan; get a spiral notebook or a 3 ring binder with
loose leaf paper and a ball point pen that won’t bleed thru the paper; and a
safe place to keep it. You can keep it
as simple as you want or you can get as fancy as you want and design your own
covers. This is your journal…make it
personal.
I personally began my journey with Scripture writing because
of my brain injury. For many years, I
have had a goal to read the Bible through on a yearly basis.
Prior to my being struck by lightning, I had a goal of
reading several books during the year. I
loved to read and I used this to expand my horizons.
After my lighting strike, I not only struggled to remember
things among other after effects, but also struggled to focus on things for
very long. I was still able to read my
Bible, but reading anything else was very difficult. It bothered me that I could read a specific
passage of Scripture in the morning, but later if my husband asked me what I
had read about I could not remember.
I began researching ways to help me remember things better
and ways to help encourage my brain to heal.
I found that Scripture Journaling helped me to focus on what I was
reading as well as helped me to retain what I had read for longer periods of
time.
Right now my journal is simple. It’s a place where I write down my thoughts
as I study out specific passages of the Bible.
It’s where I keep record of how I feel God is working in my heart and
life at that precise time. It helps me
to connect the Scriptures to everyday life events and circumstances.
How do I
get started?
1. Pray for God to speak to you as you read the selected
passage that day.
2. Write out the specific passage of Scripture chosen for
that day.
3. Write any truths of the Scripture that stood out to you.
4. Write any questions you may have about the passage.
4. Write how you can
apply the passage to your life at this moment.
Remember that Scripture Journaling is just a tool to help
you as you develop or deepen in your walk with the Saviour. This is a time to meditate upon Scriptures,
express yourself, seek out truths of the Scripture, and learn how to deepen
your walk with God.
