TODAY IN THE WORD
Charles Colson tells the story of his days as Special Counsel to former President Richard Nixon. There were times when various labor leaders would request a meeting with the Chief Executive. Prior to the meeting, they would often state how they were going to tell the President exactly how they felt about some of his economic policies. But once inside the Oval Office those same leaders were so caught up with the elegance of the place that they said very little. It’s amazing what we do when we find ourselves in places of power and authority.

Every Christian should constantly live life with a sense of dignity and reverence because Christians always live in the presence of God. There’s no place to which we can travel or escape that takes us away from God’s presence (Ps. 139:7-12). When we embrace the reality of God’s total presence in our lives, we are well on our way to developing the fifth virtue of 2 Peter 1:5-7, the virtue of godliness.

Godliness can be translated as “devoutness” or “reverence.” This word was originally used by pagan worshipers and had the idea of standing outside of the perimeter of a temple. Awe and reverence were to characterize the worshiper who came to one of the pagan temples to sacrifice to the various gods.

The apostle Paul picks up on this imagery, especially in his exhortation to Timothy to train himself to be godly (v. 7). He uses the word godliness (or godly) eight different times in 1 Timothy alone. In the context of today’s reading Paul is not discrediting physical exercise. But in contrast to the false teachers, he wanted young Timothy to know that godliness had greater value than any physical or ascetic practice that one might undertake--contrary to the false teachers’ emphasis. And the text is very clear that godliness was something that Timothy and others could acquire. From Paul’s perspective, an attitude of awe and reverence holds promise for this life and for the life to come (v. 8). When we stop and think about it, the reality that we are in God’s presence should influence everything that we say

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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Your day may be filled with many different activities, everything from doing laundry to meeting with a variety of people. To prepare for your day, determine ahead of time to set apart three areas as havens to practice godliness. It might be your car, the dining room, your office, or some other frequently visited place. On three-by-five cards write, “GOD IS PRESENT.” Then place one card in each of your chosen places. We trust that when you see the cards you will remember to practice godliness--the virtue of living in the presence of God.

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