A desire for God is a result of two contributing factors that must increase together: the fear of God and the love of God. When a Christian understands how glorious and holy this God is (the fear of God), and yet this God loves unworthy sinners like us (love of God), then we will be moved to desire God. The result is a life of devotion to God which shows in our godly lifestyle.
How important is godliness? People willingly take up training for reasons related to studies, work, or business because they regard them as important. Godliness, however, is far more important. Paul writes: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Tim 4:8). It has eternal benefits.
In chapter 3, Jerry Bridges highlights three principles that can lead to godliness. First, personal responsibility (page 33). He insists that godliness does not come naturally. Rather, Paul exhorts Timothy to “train yourself to be godly” (1 Tim 4:7). In other words, godliness does not come naturally. You must train to obtain it. You must work hard and train. The things that lead to godliness, you must take effort to do. You cannot be lazy and expect to be godly. A lazy Christian who is not serious in making efforts will be ungodly.
Second, the object of this training (page 34). This training seeks not to achieve ministry skills, like being more proficient in sharing the gospel, teaching, or preaching. You must be clear about what you want to achieve: godliness. A deep desire, devotion, or love for God that will result in godliness. Bridges observes that “during this time I have met many talented and capable Christians but I think I have met fewer godly Christians.”
Third, the importance of minimum characteristics for training (page 35). In other words, what are some things that you must have and cannot do without for this training to be effective? (1) You need to be committed. “It never comes cheap or easily” (page 36). It requires “persevering, painstaking, diligent effort” (page 36). It requires you to make sacrifices to attain godliness. (2) You need a competent coach. This coach is the Holy Spirit who will teach you by helping you to apply God’s Word to your life. Hence, you must meditate on God’s Word. (3) You need to practice. Football or badminton players understand this: they will practice the same move or stroke over and over again. Then in the most crucial times—during competitions—you will be able to execute that move and win. In the same way, only when you are so proficient in godly moves that you will be able to be godly even in difficult times, especially in times of great temptation. “If we agree . . . that the essential elements of the fear of God are correct precepts of His character, a pervasive sense of His presence, and a constant awareness of our responsibility to Him, then we must work hard at filling our minds with the biblical expressions of these truths and applying them in our lives until we are transformed into God-fearing people” (page 38).
Godliness has benefits not only for this present life but also for eternity. I urge you to train yourself. It does not come naturally. You also need to be clear of the objective: godliness and not just some outward behaviour. Finally, your training must meet some minimum requirements: (1) commitment—you need to work very hard and persevere; (2) a coach—ask the Holy Spirit to apply God’s to your life; (3) practice—you need to practice godliness “moves” again and again until you perfect the moves. May you become a godly person.