I read through the book of 1 John today. It was a good book to start the Project, because it contains some guidelines to being a godly man, and raises some questions that will warrant further study.
Key Points:
God is light, to be a godly man I must walk in the light. Confessing sin is part of walking in the light, claiming to be sinless is not. This doesn't mean sin is good, it's bad and I should avoid it at all costs. However, if I do sin, Christ comes to my defense - by His blood I'm forgiven and purified. (side note: to be Christlike I should defend those who fall, love them as He does, point them to His blood for forgiveness and purity, and restore them gently.)
To be a godly man, I must be obedient. This is non-negotiable. If I'm not obedient, I'm not living in Him. When I fully obey God, His love will be made complete in me.
To be a godly man, I must love my brother. This will keep me from stumbling. Do not walk in the darkness and be blinded by hate for others.
I can't be a godly man and love the world. Sinful cravings, lust, boasting about possessions and ability - all are temporary, and unless I want to pass away with them, I must choose to love and be loved by God instead.
I can't be a godly man and continue to sin. He destoys sin, and having been born of God, I cannot go on sinning.
God, forgive me for my blatant disregard for Your commands, far too often. I ask that by Christ's blood, You would purify me from all my sin, forgive me and bring me into right standing with You. Let Your seed remain in me, that I would not continue to sin, but instead be unable to. My desire is to walk with You, to live in You, to be a godly man, by Your grace, and for Your glory. Amen.
To be a godly man, I must lay down my life for others. If I have no pity on those in need, God's love is not in me! If I can help, I should help, loving with actions rather than words. Helping and loving others is how I set my heart at rest when it condemns me, allowing me to stand confidently in God's presence. This doesn't mean proudly. Humble, yet confident in what He's done, and in my obedience of Him, is the way to be.
As a godly man, I will receive what I ask for from God because my requests will line up with His desires.
To be a godly man, I must test whether spirits are from God and therefore true, or whether they are false. No spirit that fails to acknowledge Jesus can be from God.
The world believes and listens to worldly spirits, it does not listen to God's Spirit. I must not be taken in by worldly wisdom, but test everything to see if it agrees with God.
God is love. As God has loved me, so I must love others. Through my love, others will see God's love reflected.
As a godly man, I must be fearless. Not rash, not unthinking, but without fear, as I'm being made perfect in love.
As a godly man, who believes in Jesus and loves God and others, my faith overcomes the world!
God is life. I have life through the Son - eternal life.
As a godly man, I should pray for those who sin, that God would restore them to His life.
As a godly man, Jesus keeps me safe from sin, and the evil one can't harm me.
Questions:
Why does it assume that those who walk in the light will have sin, yet not be walking in the darkness, and also will not continue to sin? Perhaps it's like the Godly Man Project, acknowledging past sin, finding forgiveness and purity, walking in the light of the knowledge of His ways, and continuing in obedience from that point on. If that's the case, this is clearly a step I need to take in order to follow Christ. (side note: I'm not saying everyone has to do the Godly Man Project in the same way, but everyone needs to find the way that they can best follow Christ - it may not always be a journal, but it's always important.)
What does it mean to have overcome the world? What is it that my faith in Him has overcome? *Ponder this later.
What wrongdoing is sin that does not lead to death? What does this mean? *Ponder this later.
God, thank you for Your life, Your love, and Your light. With Your help, I commit to walk with You, to really live as a godly man, and live out the model Christ portrayed. Give me wisdom to test and seek out the truth, and strength to overcome the flesh, and persistence to see this through. Amen.
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