Godly Living in an Ungodly World
When I asked the question: “How do you describe our culture today?” the answers were much what I expected. The following comments, from people I reached out to in researching the subject of this devotion, included:
- “Godless.”
- “Not the culture I want my chad to see.”
- “Self-centered.”
- By a College Professor: “Increasingly secular; even O’Reilly called us ‘Bible thumpers.”
- A State Fire Marshall said: “Simple! Sad.”
- A pastor writes: “At a major crossroads that will determine much of our future like never before. And if we don’t choose the right direction, we have never seen the chaos, confusion, and destruction we are going to experience. If I am wrong, then [Bible] will have to be rewritten.”
- “Self-worshipping, apathetic, materialistic, just to name a few adjectives. We don’t want to be accountable or responsible for anything. We are increasingly depend on the government, and if something goes wrong it’s not our fault.”
Our scripture focus for this devotional is the result of a godly life, lived in an ungodly world by a simple servant of God.
“Then King Darius wrote to those of every people, nation, and language who live in all the earth: ‘May your prosperity abound. I issue a decree that in all my royal dominion, people must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion has no end. He rescues and delivers; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.’ So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”
Daniel 6:25-28 (HCSB)
Take note of Daniel’s example of godliness in an ungodly society. He made a decision, the choice, to serve God. He chose another type of food, of drink, of life than what was mandated by the king.
He walked in the ways of God, he lived as a Godly example, and did so at opposing terms with the popular culture. He was not going to rebel against God or the ruling authorities. He sought the guidance of God and the permission of the ruler.
Take note of God’s hand in all that transpired. Every way that Daniel turned, God blessed his life. Because Daniel was willing to take a stand of godliness in godlessness, God’s hand was on his life and was revealed in wonderful ways. Through each opportunity he was given and with each station of life to which he was promoted, God was seen in all that he did and said. There was no variance, no apathy, no idleness; he walked with humbleness before his God and the people.
How about you? Would you have the kind of faith Daniel demonstrated in such a situation?
What does it take to live a godly life in an ungodly world? Many of us have asked ourselves this question repeatedly. The signatures of sin and evil are all around us. There has to be something more that we can do than to white-knuckle our way through temptation.
Simply put, our anchor is Jesus Christ. He is our only salvation from sin-the anchor of our souls (Hebrews 6:19) that holds firm, especially when storms of life threaten and when the enemy’s temptations blow hard against us.
Does this mean that we can escape the troubles of this world? No-but it does mean that we set the compass of our hearts on Christ. Then, when aggressive winds and tumbling waves of temptation come, we will not be overwhelmed by
Jesus knew that we would face serious temptations and trials. The night of His arrest, He prayed for us:’[Father], my prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it” (John 17:15-16).
Living a godly life in an ungodly world is realizing that we do not belong to ourselves. As believers, we belong to Jesus Christ. He is the Shepherd of our souls, our loving Savior, and eternal Lord—and from a spiritual stand point, we do not belong to this world. Our heavenly Father has provided all that we need to live free of Satan’s temptations, tactics, lies, and snares.
We begin living the godly life Christ has called as to live, the life He has given us when we…
- Have a heart focused and set on Christ. We do this by being committed to prayer and the study of God’s Word. We can’t set our hearts on Christ or learn to live godly lives unless we follow the instruction manual that God has given to us, and this is His Word— the Bible.
- Refuse to get caught up in busywork, believing that we are pleasing to God. The greatest gift you can give the Lord is not a full schedule that includes one church meeting after another. Immorality can steal and rob us of a beautiful relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, but busyness will prevent us getting to know God in a personal way. We should not allow anything we are doing for God to prevent from being with God.
- Realize that God loves us with an unconditional love. When we draw nearer and nearer to Christ, our desire to follow the way of temptation will fade. No one will ever care as much for us as the Savior does. Christ died so that we might have eternal life. His grace is a gift that cannot be purchased through good works or outstanding behavior. He loved us even before we were born, and He loves us now. We cannot earn His love, and we cannot lose it. When we yield to sin and sense that there is a distance between the Lord and us, it is not because His love for us has faded.
There are consequences to sin that are unavoidable, and one of these is that we sense God’s rebuke because we have grieved His Spirit. But when we pray and ask Him to forgive us, He does—and He restores our fellowship with Him because His love has the ability to cover a multitude of sins (see James 5:20).
- Invest in our spiritual future. We are involved a spiritual battle. Unseen forces wage war against us, but the ultimate victory is won in Christ. Only faith in Jesus Christ wins the battle. It is faith that is not compromised one day and forgotten the next. Instead, it is faith that is built and maintained through love and devotion to God’s Son.
If you are struggling against God’s will and plan for your life, stop. Ask Him to help you understand depth of His love for you. When you do, you will find that God is giving you the ability you need to live a godly life in an ungodly world!
You will find real revival in your life!
Pray:
“May my life be so changed that I will see others around me changed for Your glory a Your honor. Let me touch the world around me with the grace and mercy of a living, lasting, loving God who can take a messed up life and transform into some beautiful. Amen.”
Consider an exercise:
Answer the following questions related to you and your desire to see revival in your in your life.
- How can you be more focused on Christ?
- What needs to change in your life so you will be less involved in “busywork”?
- Where has God revealed His unconditional love in your life?
- How can you invest in your spiritual future?
You may request a copy of this devotional guide for use in your personal devotions or for copying to use in a small group study within your church. Request your PDF copy by email at drfuller@rockfordbaptistchurch.org today!
