February 14, 2025

In last week’s blog post, I wrote that I found an article entitled “Pursuing Godliness” by a man whom I haven’t seen for many years. Sharing what he heard at a men’s breakfast, Louis wrote: “More than ever before, men are avoiding marriage commitment. More than ever before, men are abandoning their responsibilities. In almost every walk of life, we can think of men in positions of privilege or public service who have broken the trust placed in them by others.”

Louis then shared: “Man’s entire history with God is one recurring cycle of rebellion, repentance, and redemption. I believe that the heart of our problem as men is one of rebellion, thinking that we know how we should be living better than God. That we know what our priorities should be better than God. I believe that authentic, Christlike masculinity needs to be redeemed and that men can find their redemption in repentance and the pursuit of Biblical godliness.

In the New Testament, the apostle Paul instructs his disciple Timothy to ‘train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe’ (1 Timothy 4:7-10).”

 Louis then shared the following: “Godliness takes training. Verse 7 instructs us to train ourselves for godliness. No less than a professional athlete, or a professional musician, or an expert in any given field, godliness takes work. Dedication. Focus. Discipline. We’ve all heard the saying ‘no pain, no gain’. In his book ‘Disciplines of a Godly Man’, R. Kent Hughes takes this axiom to the next level: ‘No pain, no gain. No discipline, no discipleship! No sweat, no sainthood! No perspiration, no inspiration. No manliness, no maturity!’ We can’t expect these things if we’re not putting any effort into it.

In his book ‘Why Men Hate Going to Church,’ David Murrow quotes former Dallas Theological Seminary professor Howard Hendricks who said that ‘there are two kinds of people in the church: the pillars and the caterpillars. The pillars uphold the church with their prayers, work, and donations. The caterpillars crawl in on Sunday morning, sing a few songs, listen to a sermon, and crawl out again not to be seen for a week.’

Godliness is valuable to society. If you turn back to 1 Timothy 4, verse 8 says that ‘godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.’ A Swiss study in the mid-1990s published by the Council of Europe evaluated the churchgoing habits of mothers and fathers and what kind of impact that had on their children throughout their lives. It found that in homes where the mother would regularly attend church and the father did not at all, only 1.5% of children became regular worshipers. On the flip side, it found that in homes where the father would regularly attend church and the mother did not at all, a whopping 45% of children ended up committed church members. Similar studies in North America confirm that the influence of the father – for better or for worse – has a humongous impact on their children.

The pursuit of godliness deserves our full acceptance. Turn with me to Hebrews 12. In verse 1, we are told to ‘throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles’ so we can ‘run the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.’” After giving an illustration of entanglement in JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings,” Louis writes: “I imagine this image of a once-proud king, grey and wrinkled and almost asleep in his throne. It reminds me of the modern-day couch potato, leaving permanent butt marks in the upholstery while glued to the sports channel or the news channel or Netflix. Maybe this is an image that is all-too familiar to you.”

Lord willing, we will look next week at how we can ensure that these teachings become a part of our life.

Scripture for the weekend: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NASB)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

By His grace,

Steve