"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;...for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:" - 2nd Peter 1:5-6,10b(KJV)An essential additive for longevity in Christ is "godliness". It literally means "devoutness" and "piety". It is the same word the apostle Paul used when he wrote, "Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness" (1st Timothy 4:7 ESV).
"I'm not religious, I'm a Christian", has been said by many to mean faith in Christ is not a dead religion but a living relationship - that concept is true, but being irreligious or irreverent is a pitfall.
“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” - 1st Timothy 4:8 (New Living Translation)Like physical training (exercise), godliness (piety) doesn't happen naturally; it requires choice, repetition, and effort. Choosing to go to church regularly, choosing to pray and read the Bible daily, choosing to show godly respect publicly as well as privately exercises our faith. Like exercise, the more it is done the easier it becomes and the stronger we grow.
Adding godliness to how we live will keep us from being unfruitful and barren, and will keep us from falling.
- fritz
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