Week 7: Godliness
and to patience, godliness… (2 Peter 1:6).
Theme
The theme of this week’s challenge is GODLINESS
Origin of the Word
The word godliness comes from the Greek word eusebeia (pronunciation: yoo-seb'-i-ah).
εὐσέβεια
Definition:
reverence, respect, piety towards God, godliness
Huff huff, pant, pant…keep up the pace and keep breathing! Pump those arms! Are you drinking enough water? Don’t forget to hydrate! We’ve got a race to win!—but there is one important thing we need to do to make sure our faith muscles don’t get flabby. We need to be trained in godliness.
Godliness? Yes sirree! But before we start our training, we need to understand what godliness is. So pack up your gear and let’s once again travel back in time to Ancient Greece. Ready?
Ah! There it is inscribed on the walls of this cave—eusebeia. Eusebeia is the Greek word for godliness. It’s been around for a long, looooooong time. I think you’ll be surprised to learn that it was actually first used in ancient pagan culture. Back then it meant to show reverence and respect to laws and government authorities. This would include people like your parents, political leaders, the emperor, and the mythological “gods.” However, when Peter talked about eusebeia in his epistle, he used it to mean an inward and outward devotion to the one true God.
So, how do we train in godliness (eusebeia)? We follow a training program, of course! So take a swig from your water bottle and prepare for this special 3-step special training regime! Ready? Let’s go!
1. Compete by the Rules
First, just like any successful athlete, we must compete by the rules. Paul wrote, “An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules” (2 Timothy 2:5). This means that we need to follow all the rules that God has given us in his Word, as well as the rules of our parents, government, teachers, and those in authority (as long as their rules do not go against the Bible).
Competing by the rules also means living the same way in private as you do in public. Do you outwardly respect those in authority over you but then talk/think badly about them when they are not around? Such behavior may not seem to be wrong, but God tells us,
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:19).
This is where the training begins. Ready? Pick up that barbell and start lifting, so we can start building!
2. Training in Godliness
Godliness requires the training of both our outward bodies and our inward character. The Apostle Paul wrote to young Timothy about this kind of training program when he said,
“For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).
We often place a lot of emphasis on our outward appearance. Guys like to pump weights and look strong, and girls often take a lot of time in dressing and looking nice. Now, being strong and looking nice are great things, but neither should be at the expense of character training or inward godliness, which is beautiful in the sight of God!
The inward life is what is truly attractive and powerful. Don’t be fooled by those who only look good on the outside. Paul warns us to turn away from such “friends” who, “[have] a form of godliness but [deny] the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). Believe me, I know how hard it can be to turn away from friends who aren’t the best examples, but such an action is essential if you want to train in godliness. You must stick with your training program or you will be distracted and not even qualify for the race.
On the flip side, get together with friends who want to compete in this training with you. Paul once again wrote to young Timothy and said,
“Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim 2:22).
Do you see Paul’s three step training regime?
Flee, Follow, Call
You may have been warned not to follow the crowd, but this is one time that it’s a very, very, very, very (did I say very?) good thing to do! Paul is talking about the right kind of crowd to follow—those who “call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” How do you find such a crowd? You can start by learning how to call on the name of the Lord yourself. Pray that he will lead you to a crowd like this! Then, pray that your friends will help you to follow after the four virtues Paul talks about—righteousness, faith, love, and peace!
Now, you may be wondering what you should call on the Lord about next. Well, one thing I found to be helpful in my pursuit of godliness is to pray about things I struggle with. Have a problem with jealousy? Call out to God! Have a problem with selfishness? Call! Pride? Covetousness? Stealing? Taking the Lord’s name in vain? Lying? Anger or hate? Unforgiveness? Fear? Anxiety? Unthankfulness? The answer is simple! Flee, follow, and call, call, call, call, and then call some more!
You get the picture. Maybe you can even start this “Call Training” by praying with your siblings or your parents. From there, if you’re older, you can branch out and pray with your friends. Praying like this will quickly weed out the wrong kind of friends and bring in the right ones. And guess what happens next! Drum roll please…if you follow this training program you will start seeing God answer these prayers (in most cases immediately!).
Now, don’t think this is going to be easy. Training in godliness (like any kind of training) requires endurance, effort, sweat, and sometimes suffering. Ouch, I think I jabbed my funny bone! Oh, that hurts! I wonder why they call it a funny bone when it hurts so much?! Well, that’s part of the training—pain and humor! When you go through painful experiences know that it is not going to last forever. It has been said that 90% of the things people worry about never happen. So don’t take yourself and the things that upset you so seriously. Learn the art of laughing at yourself and get others to laugh with you!
If you have a hard time laughing at yourself, then most likely you have an issue with pride. In which case, my advice to you is to start learning how to laugh at yourself. Come on, you can do it…I believe in you! Laughter is like medicine you know…healthy for your soul and your bones—even funny bones!
3. Hydrate for Godliness
Whether you’re the wimpy kid on the team or the strongest professional athlete, both need water to survive. So, if you’re going to compete to “win the prize for which God has called [us],” then you need to hydrate! Drinking in the Word of God every day is essential to growing strong in godliness. If you do not, your faith will become weak and shriveled, and you will fall waaaay behind in the race!
In order to run the race, and run it well, you’ll need to take the time to read, listen, study, meditate, and memorize the Word. When Joshua took over for Moses, one of the first things he wrote was:
“This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shalt meditate therein day and night, that you mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shalt make your way prosperous, and then you shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:8).
Guess what? If you diligently follow this exercise plan, you will never fall (see 2 Peter 1:10). Don’t worry if you struggle—exercising is never easy at first! Instead, be encouraged, God has given us everything we need for life and—guess what—godliness! So what are we waiting for? Let’s get started! Ready?
On your mark! Get set! Go!!!
Keep your eye on the prize,
Rainey
Weekly Bible Memory (You may use whatever version of the Bible you prefer): 25 points per passage - additional passages may be memorized for 25 points each (up to 3 verses constitutes a passage)
Ages 6-10
“For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).
Ages 10-13
“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops” (2 Timothy 2:3-6).
Ages 14+
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).
Weekly Bible Reading/Book: 5 points per chapter read - any chapter of the Bible may be read anytime during the challenge for 5 points each.
1 Timothy
Reading List for Godliness: * 1 point per page read - any Lamplighter book/Lamplighter resource book/non-fiction [biography, spiritual growth, informational] may be ready anytime throughout the challenge 1 point per page.
Ages 6-11
Ages 9-14
Ages 12+
Treasure of the Secret Cove, The
*You may read any Lamplighter book at any time throughout the challenge. This list is only recommendations that go along with this week’s theme.
Creative Assignment: Exercise in Godliness! (25 points)
Grab a friend, parent, or sibling who will be your “exercise buddy” for the week. Then recite your memory verses to them, and have them check your recitation (you can take turns doing this with each other). Every time you miss a word, or skip a section, have your “exercise buddy” call out an exercise that you must do before starting the passage over again (i.e. do a pushup, run a lap around the room, do 5 squats, 10 jumping jacks, or plank for 30 seconds). Every time you have to do an exercise, you need to start over with your verse recitation until you have recited it all the way through.
*Submit your Creative Assignment (write a short paragraph about how this assignment helped you) to Lamplighter HERE and award yourself 15 bonus points! Assignments need to be submitted by July 15th, 2024, in order to receive the bonus points.
Practical Assignment: A Prayer Workout (50 points allotted for the week not each time you pray)
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Reverence and respect for those whom God has put over us as authorities is an important factor in our pursuit of godliness. So, in light of this encouragement to pray for our authorities, make a list of 5-7 different authority figures in your life right now (this could be your parents, pastor, teachers, your boss, governor, the President, etc.), and make time in your prayers to specifically pray for them each day this week. Take some time to thank God for the freedom you have to worship, pray, and follow after Christ with no fear of imprisonment or death.
Helpful hint: set an alarm for a certain time each day to pray for the people on your list so that you never forget to do it.
Additional Resources on Godliness: (Blog Posts; Podcasts) 5 points for each recommended blog read/podcast listened to.
Blog - A Dream Come True
Blog - Weeds of the Past
Blog - Consider Your Ways
Podcast - Doctrine of Figs
Podcast - Influence of Lamplighter Literature
Don’t forget to tag us @lamplighterministries
to share with us how you and your family are completing the challenge!
