GODLINESS - DEVOTED TO GOD

 

                               GODLINESS - DEVOTED TO GOD

"Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases to be. For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men." Psalms 12:1

GODLINESS: the quality or practice of conforming to the laws and wishes of God; devoutness and moral uprightness - 

GODLINESS - DEVOTED TO GOD "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, that we should live soberly, righteously, and GODLY, in this present world, looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave Himself of us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Titus 2: 11-14

MAN'S INABILITY TO WALK UPRIGHTLY BEFORE GOD WITHOUT HELP

PRACTICAL GODLINESS:

    -TAKING UP OUR CROSS

    -SET YOUR AFFECTIONS ON THINGS ABOVE

    -WALK IN LOVE

   -"BE YE NOT PARTAKERS WITH THEM." 

   -MANAGING INJUSTICES

   - ALLOWANCES FOR PETTY INDULGENCES & UNGODLY ATTITUDES & BEHAVIOR  

  - AN EVIL EYE vs THE LOVE OF CHRIST 

  - BEING DRAGGED INTO WORLDLY CONFLICTS   

  - THE FEAR OF THE LORD AND HOLINESS

   - GODLY SEPARATION   

  - BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

  - "HOPE MAKES NOT ASHAMED."

   OBSERVING OUR ERODING SOCIETY

  "Lord help; for the godly man ceases; for the faithful fail from among the children of men." Psalm 12:1

  I am currently living in a post-Christian society that has been rapidly deteriorating morally. What I am finding shocking is not only the rapid growth of endorsed sinful behavior that the Bible warns us about,  but the almost utter lack of God-consciousness, let alone any healthy fear of God. Instead, there is growing superstition, paranoia, self-righteousness, and the pursuit of a man-made utopia. Now I want to be careful here and not use this or allow this to be used as an attack of any kind on the Church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but rather objectively examine what may help and increase our expressions of faith and hope in our world.

  During these times of peace and prosperity (diminishing as they are), we seriously underestimate the gravity of the situation we are in. Our adversary, the devil, has unleashed the most diabolical tactics against the Church, our society, and the world, and we have found ourselves confused and floundering as to how to combat it. True, many of the Christian values and principles that our society was built on have been tactically removed, but Jesus did not come to earth to build a Christian society but to bring the Kingdom of God to mankind. That is His purpose, and so it should be ours as well. We preach, teach, and live the Gospel. Again, as Charles Finney said, our focus should be, "the salvation of sinners and the sanctification of saints. (believers)" The rest will take care of itself. 

  MAN'S INABILITY TO WALK UPRIGHTLY BEFORE GOD WITHOUT HELP

"Oh Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walks to direct his steps." Jeremiah 10:23 

  It is fascinating to see the brilliance of human achievements, especially in the areas of science and technology, wherein we reflect a characteristic of God our Creator, yet, amid all these abilities, we seem unable to manage our lives and society with moral uprightness without continual guidance. Actually, without the Lord's intervention, our actions always end in some form of decadence. We have the creative drive, but we are deficient in moral integrity. The Lord first addressed this issue early in man's existence when we tried to build the Tower of Babel. "And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, 'Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their speech.' And the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth, and they stopped building the city." Genesis 11:6.  What they were doing was an act of defiance to God's command to "...be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, and subdue it..." Genesis 1:24 They did not want to scatter around the world.

  The godliness I am referring to is not the result of religious practice or traditions of men, but the fruit of a genuine fear of God and a daily walk of faith. What I do not want is to promote an attempt for a religious performance, but rather a genuine, wholehearted, surrender to God. As you know, Jesus bridged the gap of separation between us and God that was/is brought on by our sinful behavior. This relationship and walk of faith should reflect in how we live our lives, not only before Him but in plain view of the people in the world around us. In other words, an open reminder of God and His will for the world to witness. We are not to put on a show, but nor are we to hide our faith. Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is therefore good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16

  We know that salt adds flavor, retards decay, and helps sterilize, and that light pushes back the darkness and exposes things hidden, so what is the problem if we are the salt and the light of the world? Are we losing our flavor of Christ? Is our presence in the world holding back corruption and social deterioration? Are we bringing the Light of Christ and holding back the darkness in our society? Now we know that without Jesus we cannot do anything (John 15:5), but He did say that we are the salt and light of the world. What then are we to do? It is not so much what we do, but what kind of person we are. The kind of person we are will produce the fruit that is needed. Are we wholehearted? Please take this carefully, because we all struggle and are in need of the Father's unfathomable grace. Let us look at some aspects that can help make a difference in our lives and our walk with Jesus:  

PRACTICAL GODLINESS

 TAKING UP OUR CROSS

 "And He said to them all, 'If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross DAILY, and follow Me.'" Luke 9:23

  It must begin in our own personal lives as followers of Jesus with a deliberate, daily, focused devotion to Him. This takes INTENTIONAL, wholehearted faith and effort as in "...not MY will, but THINE be done." Luke 22:42.  Hold on a minute now, before you go on a tangent and stress out yourself and everyone else by going on a frantic, panic, rampage, remember we have not yet attained to all the possibilities of a perfect faith.  We just keep pressing on "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death, if by any means  I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I have already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow after if that I may apprehend (take hold of) that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:10-14). If you are already doing your best and your heart is fixed on Jesus, including all the daily ups and downs, you are probably already in His will. Just remember that how well we started and what we did yesterday is over. Today is the day we follow Jesus. Enjoy Him in the little acts of patience, self-restraint, and preferring the other in love. Jesus said it like this, "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33 Everything we do every day is to be with the full intent to serve and please Him. I want to add here that we should walk in the knowledge of His will that we have learned, and not forget the teachings of the Bible. Instead, we must learn how to implement them in our daily lives. "Only let us live up to what we have already attained." Philippians 3:16 "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip." Hebrews 2:1

  SET YOUR AFFECTIONS ON THINGS ABOVE

  "If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things of the earth. For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our Life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with Him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4

  Our heart must be in what we confess/believe and not just our mind. Because we are to live by faith (Hab. 2:4, Romans3:11), and faith works by love (Galatians 5:6), we must CONSTANTLY keep our heart and affections focused on Christ, His Kingdom, and His will ("Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23) lest at any time we begin to stray for wholehearted devotion to Him. We can easily be consumed by the world and all its cares, responsibilities, temptations, and troubles that distract us (Matthew 13:22, Luke 21:34). This is what Jesus calls the thorns of this life, wherein, at one time we may have glowed with faith and love for Jesus, but over time it has been choked out with the cares and affecitions of this life. Indeed, we do have heavy God-given responsibilities in this world, but we must never let them erode away our peace and joy in Christ, nor lose sight of our Heavenly calling. Remember, everything in this world is passing, and what God has for us is Eternal Life. Keep your heart and affections (values) fixed on Him and what He has called us to.

  WALK IN LOVE

 "For this, 'You shall not commit adultery. You shall not kill. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. You shall not covet.' And if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.'  Love works no ill to his neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." Romans 13:10

  We are often confident in our love for God, but it really shows in our love for our fellow man. All of us have violated God's laws in one form or another, yet the catchphrase of today's 'Progressive Society' is "I am a good person." Which typically means, "I don't need God to be good." Well, aside from the fact that Jesus said,  "No one is good except God alone." Mark 10:18, God didn't demand us to be "A Good Person", but to love one another as He loved us. Yes, our Heavenly Father wants us to do what is right, but not to trust our own righteousness ("...all our righteousness are as filthy rags..." Isaiah 64:6). The fact is, we can do "Good things" without being motivated by love, "If I give all I possess to the poor  and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:3 The hard news is that none of us are "good" by God's standard ("There is none righteous, no not one...for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:10,23.) We are just sinners who need to be saved. Walking in the love of Christ now to us means "But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you; that you may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love them which love you, what reward have you? Do not even the publicans the same? And if you salute your brothers only, what do you more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is Perfect." Matthew 5:44-48

  All this to say that it takes our obedience of faith out of the realm of human ability, and launches us into a constant need of Jesus Christ in order to serve in a Christ-like capacity. This is an exercise in Christ-like godliness.

"BE YE NOT PARTAKERS WITH THEM." 

 "Be ye, therefore, followers of God, as dear children, and walk in love...but fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no whoremonger(immoral person), nor unclean person, nor covetous man, which is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kindom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not therefore partakers with them. For you were sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and truth...and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Ephesians 5:1-11

  One time while at work, one of the partsmen was chasing one of the female office workers around the parts bins. They (both married) were putting on such an entertaining show that they had all of us (including myself) standing around laughing. Right then, the Lord spoke to me and said, "You are partaking of their sin." Without thinking, I immediately spoke out loudly and said, "Hey, that is another man's wife!" It was like dropping a bomb in a glasshouse. They stopped immediately, and everyone turned around and quietly went back to work. I was ashamed of myself. By the way, neither of their marriages failed. Thank you, Lord Jesus! What I learned from this is that we do not actually need to be engaged in any sin to be partaking of it. All we need is to be in agreement with it in some form or another, and behold, we are all then guilty before God. May He have mercy. How often does wickedness and grievous sin go on before our eyes, and we do not even turn from it, at least in our hearts, especially in the area of entertainment? If at any time we see or hear of something that the Bible calls sin or evil and it does not grieve us, that should be a warning of our needful condition and our need to realign our faith. "And the Lord said to him, 'Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.'" Ezekiel 9:4

MANAGING INJUSTICES

  "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to the law before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the siants shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? ... But brother goes to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you because you go to law one with another. Why do you not rather take wrong? Why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?" 

  I want to tread this carefully because of the many varying possible situations, but it seems that at times when the natural and business part of our lives suffers a violation, especially by a professing brother in Christ, we tend to cast aside some of our Biblical teachings and deal with it in a natural, even secular way to secure our due justice. Can we 'saints' ever put on a fight! Does this not tarnish the name of Christ before the world that we are trying to reach? How then can we reach out to sinners who need His salvation when our actions are contrary to Jesus' Character? Here, the Lord is admonishing us to settle matters among believers as much as possible within the Church so as not to tarnish the name of Christ unnecessarily. Obviously, when things have gone this far, we already have. I am not advocating concealing evil at any level, and certain sins must be brought before the secular lawkeepers because they are also God's servants and that is their jurisdiction - "For he is the minister of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid. For he bears not the sword in vain. For he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that does evil." Romans 13:7 The church itself is to be subject to the secular government in their appointed realm like everyone else ("Render therefore unto Ceasar the things that are Ceasar's, and unto God the things that are God's." Matthew 22:21) Still, where ever we can bring righteousness and justice among ourselves without violating the laws of the land we should. A brother in Christ told me he wanted me to talk to his son about Jesus after he got busted for theft and vandalism. I first asked his son if he believed in Jesus and that He died on the cross for his sins. He said that he did. Then I asked him if he would surrender his life to Jesus. He did right then. Then I told him that if he truly believed in Jesus and had repented, then he must return what he stole, pay for the damage, and then turn himself over to the police.  He did everything immediately. What a glorious conversion! His girlfriend was so taken aback by his change that she gave her heart to Jesus, too. 

 Therefore, as God's people, we should submit to the Church's Biblical counsel and thereby attempt to bring a conflict to a peaceable and just solution without violating the secular law and thus demonstrate obedience to Jesus and glorifying God. Dear friends, we must learn to take and live the Word of God seriously in our day-to-day lives, even if it means taking a loss for His name's sake.

  What I really want to address here is that, as professing followers of Christ, when it comes to personal injustices against ourselves, is our primary goal personal vindication? Who is it that inherits the earth? For Jesus' name's sake, how do we overcome evil? How would Jesus want us to handle the offense? How ready are we to cancel debts? "But I say to you, that you resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue you at the law, and take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. And if any man shall compel you to go a mile, go with him two. Give to him that asks you, and from him that would borrow of you turn not away." Matthew 5:39-42 There may be times when we take legal action, but it had better be Biblically qualified and conducted under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

ALLOWANCES FOR PETTY INDULGENCES & UNGODLY ATTITUDES & BEHAVIOR

 "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace to the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour(contention) and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you." Ephesians 4:29-32

"To speak evil of no man..." Titus 3:2

  A snare that we must be so careful about is the temptation to allow ourselves what we may consider to be 'minor indulgences': little temper tantrums, mocking, judging, slandering, careless jesting, insisting on being first or upfront, having our own way,  despising people, shunning people. Such behavior can cause huge damage and hurt to others, and even stumble them from faith in Christ. Jesus said, "It is  impossible but that offenses will come, but woe unto him through whom they come!" Luke 17:1. We may think that we may have a right to be a little selfish, a little self-centered, offer a little critique or accusation against another, look down on, despise someone, or exclude them from our company because they do not measure up to our 'godly' standards and righteousness, but this is what the Lord has to say about such attitudes, "...who say, 'Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am holier than you.' These are smoke to My nostrils..." Isaiah 65:5

"My brothers, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention  to the one who is wearing the fine  clothes and say, 'You sit here in a good place.' and you say to the poor man, 'You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool.' have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?" James 2:1-4

  The ungodly attitudes and behavior that we sometimes display must be called into account by our own hearts and minds before God Almighty. Where ever and whenever the fruit of the Spirit, "...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:25-26) are not being displayed, or are not the motives of our heart, we need to police ourselves, repent, and surrender afresh to Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. As I said, any ungodly, unChrist-like behavior can do huge damage to others and tarnish the name of the Lord in their eyes because of our professed association with Him. If we represent Him, we are responsible. 

  In my day-to-day work, I constantly run into some backslidden, wounded, disillusioned Christians, many of whom will have nothing to do with churches because of the way they were treated. True, not all of them are justified completely, but there are so many that have been hurt or tread upon by us 'well-meaning' Christians. Lord, forgive us, put us in check, and help us be ever so careful in our treatment of others, especially in our speech, attitudes, and acceptance of others.

 AN EVIL EYE vs THE LOVE OF CHRIST

"The light of the body is the eye. If, therefore, your eye is single, your whole body shall be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" Matthew6:22-23

  Jesus here is not speaking of some mystical phenomenon, but that which is going on in our hearts can be seen in how we regard others. If we look at someone disdainfully, with resentment, judgmentally, mockingly, hatefully... are we not denying Christ? Has His meekness and gentleness in us given way to self-righteousness and arrogance? Is our heart overflowing with godly love, grace, and patience? Perhaps we need to spend more time on our knees and in the Bible. This also applies to lust, greed, and envy. We cannot hide them. Lord, help us purify our motives! "Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24

AVOID BEING DRAGGED INTO WORLDLY CONFLICTS

"No man that wars entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him Who has chosen him to be a soldier." 2 Timothy 2:4

  Throughout His ministry, Jesus' opponents continually tried to lure Him into the religious, social, and even political arenas, which were all valid points for the people of the day, but when directed to Him they were attempts to trap Him or veer Him off course. Nevertheless, He carefully, wisely, and even graciously did not take the bait but rather used them to direct them/us to the Father's will and Kingdom.  A good example is when the religious leaders confronted Him concerning the woman caught in adultery John 8:3-11. For us today, amid the growing turmoil of social and political controversies, it is easy to be drawn into the social, political, and even moral debates. Through it all, we can easily find ourselves engulfed in the quagmire of worldly conflict and become combative, resentful, and hopefully not hateful toward those who disagree with us, oppose us, or perhaps hate us. Dear friends, instead, these issues can be great opportunities to point people to Jesus and the Kingdom of God, which is unstoppably coming, in spite of us. Some time ago, I was about to engage in a political/social fight (assuming it was for the glory of God), a good friend, brother, and fellow worker admonished me by saying that he did not think that was the will of God and that I did not have to swing every time the devil throws a pitch. I barely escaped a disastrous mess.

For the grace and strength to do all these things, we may need to step up in the areas of personal prayer, Bible study, worship, and even fasting.

  THE FEAR OF THE LORD AND HOLINESS

"...and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil." Proverbs 16:6

"For, brethren, you have been called unto liberty. Only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." Galatians 5:13    

"But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants bare rule over the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God." Nehemiah 5:15

 TAKING QUESTIONABLE ADVANTAGE - Once, I saw on the cover of a business magazine that said, "Beware of the Man Who says 'Praise the Lord.'" What a reproach to the name of Jesus! As followers of Jesus, we know that just because something is "Legal" or socially acceptable does not mean it is something that Jesus would approve of. Even if the Bible does not directly condemn something in itself, it may not bring honor to Jesus. Certain business practices, certain uses of alcohol, and even some driving practices may not only be harmful, but also bring reproach to the name of Christ. One time as a young Christian Zealot, while making a quick right-hand turn, I cut someone off. When I got to church, a brother questioned me and asked,  "Do you drive a green Custom 500? You cut me off. If you are going to drive like that, at least remove the Jesus sticker from your bumper." So I immediately took the sticker off and, since then, tried to improve my driving.

GODLY SEPARATION

"Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful(mockers), but his delight is in the law of the Lord."

"Wherein they think it strange that you run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you." 1 Peter 4:4

 NOT PARTAKING - Another mark of godly separation from the world is not only by not partaking in their sinful activities, but by not associating with the mocking of the sacred things of God. When people ridicule things like churches, prayer, worship, holiness, or using profane language, making crude comments, and especially using the Lord's name flippantly, we do not partake of such things, for our God is Holy, and we love and fear Him. A friend of mine, while having a break with the other men from work in a lumber yard, was listening to them making fun of people who make commitments to God. One guy said that he did that too one time when he was in trouble, but then, jestingly, said that he forgot about it. Mark, with his deep booming voice, said, "Yeah, you lied!" and walked out. No doubt, the fear of God struck, and that fellow, let alone the others, had some rethinking to do.

"Follow peace with all men, and HOLINESS, without which no man shall see  the Lord." Hebrews 12:14

 WALKING IN HOLINESS /GODLY DEVOTION -  This verse indicates that without holiness we are not only blinded to the Lord, but also indicates that without us living visibly holy lives, others will not see a glimpse of the living Christ through our actions and behavior. Let us take the fear of the Lord and take holiness seriously in our day-to-day lives.

BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

"And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you. But you tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high." Luke 24:49

" And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit." Ephesians 5:18

  For the most part, it seems that we rarely stress the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit of God, but according to Scripture, this Gift is a prerequisite to service in Christ. How can we live and perform for Jesus and in His name without His Holy Spirit working in and through us? Again, without Him we can do NOTHING John 15:5. Moses himself said, "For wherein shall it be known here that I and Your people have found grace in Your sight: Is it not in that You go with us? So shall we be separated, I and Your people that are upon the face of the earth." Exodus 33:16 Truly, it is not only the life we live, the words we speak, but it is His very Spirit in us Who makes people aware of Him and draws them to Himself. It isn't anything of us, dear friends. In the presence of Jesus, people become God conscious.

"HOPE MAKES NOT ASHAMED."

 "And hope makes not ashamed, because the love of God is shed (poured out) abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which (Who) is given unto us." Romans 5:5

 "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:38.

 One busy Friday evening at the restaurant where I was working, I noticed a First Nations family seated at a table. The father had his whole family humbly bow their heads, do the sign of the cross (a Catholic family), and give thanks for their meal. This was in plain view of all the people in a crowded restaurant. Not only was I blessed and inspired, but also ashamed of myself because I was not as bold and unashamed. What a bright light they were in the midst of the predominantly self-conscious and insecure society that we are. I mean, who wants to make themself so vulnerable and exposed in a public place, and perhaps even an object of ridicule in the eyes of some? But what a glory to God, our Loving and Wonderful Heavenly Father. God does not want us to put on a show and draw attention to ourselves, but as the situation calls, honor Him in wholehearted faith and humility. And if we fail, there is often another opportunity. He loves everyone so much, and He is more than worthy!

  IN CONCLUSION,

 The goal is not to start doing 'godly' things to put on a show. God forbid. But to be a godly person and live a consecrated, holy life, to please our Heavenly Father and glorify Him at all times.