Proverbs 12:5-6

Are you godly? Or wicked? These words are vastly different, but what do they mean? Before claiming to be “godly”, simply because that is what we may desire to be, I think it is important to understand the two.

So what is godliness? Paul mentions the term a couple of times in the New Testament. In 1 Timothy 4, Paul instructs Timothy, “..train yourself to be godly” (4:7). Training does not happen by accident, it is an active, consistent, conscious choice. As a runner, I think of training for a half-marathon. You pick the race you want to run, and register for it. However, registering is not what prepares you for race day. It is only the first step; from there, you must train. Training for a half is typically a 16 week process. Though the training process is not easy, as long as you are consistent in the plan, it is doable. But oh, how noticeable it is when you miss just one week of training! In the same way, becoming a believer is not what makes you godly- though it does save us- real godliness is the process of daily pursuing the Lord and training to be like Him.

Now that we’ve looked into the definition of godliness, what does it mean to be wicked? The word wicked is defined as evil or morally bad, another word to describe it is sinful. Hm… Isn’t that all of us? We don’t have to train or try to be sinful, It comes naturally because of our sinful nature- which is instilled in each one of us because of the Fall. To be wicked, all that is required is to make no strides toward godliness.

Are you godly? Or are you wicked? I think the real question is, are you persevering through adversity and making a conscious effort to be more like Jesus? Are you daily training to be godly? Or are you sitting on the comfortable couch of complacency, wallowing in your wicked, sinful nature?

The true answer to this question affects everything we do. If we are building ourselves up in godliness, we will also build others up when they come to us for advice or encouragement. However, if we are simmering in the sinfulness of envy, pride, and hatred, we will tear down anyone and anything that stands in our self-centered way. Would you rather build up? Or tear down?

It all starts with the question ,

Are you godly? Or are you wicked?

The resources to be godly are right at our fingertips through God’s word. Choose to train yourself in godliness.