"On Being Godly"

godly:  adj.  Of or pertaining to a god.  Devoted to a god or God; devout; righteous; gloriously good.

godly:  adv.  In a godly manner; piously; devoutly; righteously.

The illustration in my mind’s eye was crystal clear, the message even clearer.

The water was deep, murky, and foreboding.  The rock cliff dropped off from the edge of the bank, and there was no purchase available, nothing to hold onto so she could hoist herself up and out.  She had been in the water for quite some time--swimming, swimming, swimming.  Her strength gone, her stamina spent, she was in a “treading-water” mode, her resolve quickly waning.  With no way out, she had no hope of ever making it ashore.  Soon, very soon, she would give up.  And she would perish. 

The silent observer was unseen but within reach.  All that was needed was to reach out, extending the necessary helping hand to pull her up and out of the water.  "A godly act," was my thought.

Just what is a godly person?  How does one become godly and what difference does it make?

Personally, I would challenge the dictionary definition of godly with my own:

godly:  adj.  One who is in tune with God.

It is the nature of humankind to try to alter God and His standards, either by removing or adding a word or a letter from the original, generalizing them and making them more palpable.  Such is the case here.  Goodly and godly are not one and the same.

Often, a godly person is viewed as one who does good works, adheres to religious principles, is schooled in church doctrine and history.  Perhaps he/she has turned away from a conventional way of life in order to live one of solitude, concentrating and focusing on prayer and service.

God is love.  Godliness is a state based on that fact rather than on outer actions.  It has its beginnings as one becomes acquainted with God as a person, godly words and deeds the result of that relationship.  The difference between goodly and godly is they come from His mind and not that of man. 

One who is godly will never broadcast the part of their lives which is very personal.  There are no fundraisers or posts on Facebook.  They naturally do what has been given them to do and continue on, often never realizing the impact and difference made in other’s lives.

Godly, not goodly.  There is a difference.  It is in the being, not the doing.  

In thinking about the picture given me, it was evident it was a picture of God.  Unable to help myself, He reaches out His hand.  It is my choice and my decision to accept the offer of help or reject it.  

A godly person does the same, representing Him, emulating Him.  There is no room for self.  And that does make a difference. 

   

“Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment;”  I Timothy 6:6

“…pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.”  I Timothy 6:11