We have often been found guilty of declaring so much, yet demonstrating so little!  Timothy addresses this issue in a direct manner:  2 Timothy 3: 4-5 “……lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a  form of godliness but denying the power thereof, from such turn away.”

A quote from Oswald Chambers:  “So enchanted but so unchanged!”  What an indictment to Believers!

Our omnipotent Heavenly Father has no boundaries, no limitations to His power.  The Almighty God is unchanging, He is still the God of the impossible, and yet, we have limited Him by the confines of our minds and wrong believing.  We have reset the boundaries, applied our reasoning, and thus, have limited the Unlimited One – “having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof”.   

A new day has dawned – a new dispensation!  What a privilege to be a member of the Body of Christ in this troubled and turbulent world!  It is time to talk, walk and live worthy of the high calling on our lives, to fulfil our divine destiny.  What is this “godliness”  that Timothy refers to throughout his two books?   It is the very nature and character of Christ.  The Son of God became the Son of man, that we, the sons of men, could become the sons of God, through His sacrificial death and resurrection.

Genesis records that we are made in the image of God: Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him,  male and female created he them”.

If we want to know what God is like, we look to His Son, Jesus Christ.  The disciple, Philip, asked Jesus to show them the Father.  Jesus replied, “….He that has seen me, has seen the Father….” John 14:9.  Jesus came to earth in obedience to His Father’s will and plan, to redeem the fallen world.   Anyone who receives Him as Saviour and makes Him Lord of their lives, begins a lifelong journey with the Holy Spirit to guide, teach and bring us to maturity if we walk humbly and learn of Him.   The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, chapters 5-7) demonstrate and teach the character of Christ.  The character and attributes of Jesus come forth in a Believer’s life, only as he walks in humility and is guided by the Holy Spirit.  This is God’s plan for His redeemed children, that the life of the resurrected, indwelling Christ will be given permission by us to reign in our hearts.   Self rule is the enemy that denies Jesus His rightful place in my heart.  He is not a dictator and will not force Himself upon me, and yet, He yearns for a response to invite Him into my weakness that He might demonstrate the power of His resurrected life through me. This is the life of  “Another”, Jesus Christ.  This life is IN us, but is not OF us.  All of my effort to live the Sermon on the Mount will end in frustration, but when I walk in humility with my Saviour and fellowmen, Jesus will live His life through me.  I will be in such harmony with my Heavenly Father, the trials of life will seem so small compared to the joy and peace of His presence.  All the credit is the Lord’s, to God be the glory.  Perfect peace, nothing to prove of myself.  Humility is always key.  This is true godliness.

1 Timothy 6:6  “But godliness with contentment is great gain”.