By Andrea Merrell
My soul thirsts, pants, and longs
for the living God.
I want to come and see the face of God.
Psalm 42:2
Long dresses. No make-up. Ties. No ties. Sprinkle.
Baptize. Seems every church and denomination have their own rules for being “godly.”
When
I was growing up, I wasn’t allowed to go to a movie or anything recreational
because it would be disrespectful to the Lord. The older folks liked to
say, “Don’t cuss, smoke, or chew … and don’t run around with fellas and gals
that do.”
So
many rules. So many don’ts. If we tried to follow them all we’d drive ourselves
bonkers and probably give up. Besides, all those rules don’t make us godly—they
make us religious. When we allow the Enemy to trick us into thinking
that man-made religion puts us in good standing with God, we need to take a
closer look at what Jesus said to the Scribes and Pharisees. He called them hypocrites
and whitewashed tombs. Ouch!
What then is godliness, if it’s not how we speak,
act, dress, or behave?
Simply speaking, it’s an
attitude of the heart. One writer says it’s an “inside job.” It’s a matter of being
passionate in our pursuit of God. A longing to know Him. To be sensitive to His
voice. To be obedient and walk with him every moment of every day. It’s a
desire to have a deep, intimate relationship with our Creator. To call Him
friend.
David
committed adultery and murder, yet God called him a man after His own heart.
Why? Because no matter what he’d done, David said, My soul thirsts, pants, and longs for the
living God. He
wanted to see God’s face.
Does your soul thirst for God?
Don’t allow yourself to be boxed in by all the religious regulations and sacred
cows. Seek the Lord with your whole heart. Draw close to Him. Talk to Him as you would a trusted friend. Be
obedient to His voice and to His Word.
That’s true godliness.
Yet true godliness with contentment is itself
great wealth (1 Timothy 6:6 NLT).
(Photo courtesy of
Blogpiks.com and Stuart Miles.)
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