New Perspective

We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in th knowledge of God. Colossians 1:9-10

Our ladies' Bible study has moved from the foundational chapters of Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate into the chapters actually dealing with the "respectable sins" in our lives. The first sin Jerry Bridges addresses is ungodliness, which he proposes is root of all other sins (I'm still pondering that). But what caught my attention in this chapter is the definition of ungodliness. I always thought the word had the same meaning as unrighteousness or wickedness. Not so. Bridges writes: "Ungodliness describes an attitude toward God, while unrighteousness refers to sinful actions in thought, word, or deed...Ungodliness may be defined as living one's everyday life with little or no thought of God, or of God's will, or of God's glory, or of one's dependence on God." (pp. 53-54) Even though we begin our day in Bible study and prayer, we may go for hours afterward without giving a thought to our responsibility or dependence on the Lord. As Bridges states, "we go out into the day's activities and basically live as though God doesn't exist." (p.54) As we develop an attitude of godliness, we will recognize our dependence on God in making our plans, in our jobs, and in our ordinary daily activities. More importantly though, we will desire to develop an intimate relationship with the Lord. "Our goal in the pursuit of godliness should be to grow more in our conscious awareness that every moment of our lives is lived in the presence of God: that we are responsible to Him and dependent on Him. This goal would include a growing desire to please Him and glorify Him in the most ordinary activities of life." (p.60)