Mastering Godliness - Amy Dagit

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness. 1 Timothy 4:7 ESV  

One afternoon, I received an exciting email: my devotion had been chosen for publication. That night, I celebrated with my husband. We snuggled on the couch and toasted my achievement.

Fast-forward a couple of weeks, and the publisher posted my devotion on their website. I expected a few edits, but nothing I worried about. I navigated to the website and read.

My demeanor plummeted into despair. The final product gutted me. I thought the edits were heavy-handed. The editor had deleted my favorite word, and I felt my voice had been erased. I stomped upstairs, fell into bed, and cried while the voice in my mind reiterated the wrongs in the published devotion.

After drying my eyes, I walked downstairs, sat at my computer, and worked on another devotion. The Spirit quickly prodded me. I had not responded with godliness. Instead, I rejected God’s gift, grumbled rather than prayed, and  wallowed in the lies. I had forgotten my purpose was to reach others with God’s Word.

I am thankful for the Spirit’s nudge. I learned that godliness does not come easily. It requires immersion, practice, toiling, striving, setting an example, and checking ourselves.

Godliness entails our commitment to live according to God’s Word. When acting godly, we reveal God’s character to others and lead them toward eternity. And yes, others notice. But, of course, the opposite is also true. Our ungodly acts can push others away from the Father.

Think about your reaction to a situation that didn’t happen as planned. Did you respond with grumbling, take out your anger on a loved one, or believe the lies? Why not use the Bible to create a list of godly responses for unexpected situations?

Tweetable: How can you do a better job of mastering godliness? 

Amy Dagit is a writer and copyeditor from East Central Illinois. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Besides editing and writing, Amy loves to travel and photograph. Her writing has been published in The Wanderlust Within, 50 Haikus, and Inkspirations Online. She blogs about editing, writing, and travel at amydagit.com.

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