Ungodliness and Unthankfulness

For those of you, who only tune in on Thursdays for Book Club, please notice the video in the previous post inviting you to Starbucks this Friday for an hour book discussion in person! I need the encouragement to make it through some hard upcoming chapters and maybe you do too.

Meet me there – Friday, July 9, 11:15 am, Starbucks on Governors, Huntsville. Bring your book!

Now to this week…
For Paul, all of life is to be lived out in the presence of God with an eye to pleasing Him. Respectable Sins, Chapter 7

I never thought of ungodliness being the root cause of my sin. Like many of Mr. Bridges’ students, I always thought it was my pride. I have been surprised that the ‘pride’ chapter was not first in the book, and I’m glad it was not! I am appreciating the way Mr. Bridges is laying a strong foundation on the gospel before we delve into our sins. In reading his argument toward ungodliness as a root, along with the Romans passages, I am coming to accept and believe his reasoning. 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. Well, that about covers it.

He poses the question, ‘just how ungodly am I?’ and he mentions the possibility that many of us who are believers might go for hours with no thought of God at all. Is that possible? I can unhappily and regretfully say, yes. I, all too well, remember days in my previous career when I would, at the end of the day, step into the elevator to go home and sickeningly realize that I had not one thought of God all day long. I hate to admit it. I hate even more that it was absolutely true. I distinctly remember full days without a thought of God much less a prayer. Anyone else?

It was because of those days that I realized a change was needed. It was because of so many of those days that I began what I now see to be my own version of a training program. So when Mr. Bridges brought up I Timothy 4: 7, ‘rather, train yourself to be godly’; I began to reflect back on what I did to undo such ungodly habits. I set my computer alarm to ring each hour for a brief prayer. I brought a Bible and Bible Promise book to work to keep in my desk. I printed Scripture and taped it over my side of my office doorway. It was visible only to me, and it reminded me to pray for each person walking through my office door… and the situation they brought with them. When things were really bad, I got under my desk and prayed on my knees. Please know my desk was fully enclosed on three sides, one of those huge wood monstrosities, and I was completely hidden under there. Several times I had a near panic attack when, while I was under my desk, someone would come in looking for me. Sometimes they would write a note and leave it on my desk, all the while I was under it. I just didn’t have the nerve to come out from under my desk and scare them half to death. You get the picture.

Lastly, I’ve been so convicted that my thankfulness to God is ‘routine and perfunctory’. I may feel deep gratitude, but I don’t express even a tenth of what I feel. I’m not coming close to giving a tithe of thankfulness. Most of all, I appreciate how Jerry Bridges brings us to the use of Scripture as our bandage over the cuts, scrapes and deeper wounds of ‘acceptable’ sins. As he suggests, I’ve added Ephesians 5: 20 and I Thessalonians 5: 18 to my index cards.

For those of you who are readers and also school-supply-lovers like me, this is our time of year! The stores are full of cool notebooks, pens, markers, sticky notes and helpful gadgets. I noticed yesterday at Staples that they have spiral-bound, multi-color index cards, a package of 2, for $5.99.

I love all of you!!!

Discussion for Chapters 7 and 10:
Keep your comments coming! We learn so much from each other and we need each other! Print and complete the Discussion section, then comment as you wish. Feel free to insert your own insights and personal lessons.
1. Read Romans 1: 18-32 and review the way Paul vividly describes the downward moral spiral of pagan humanity. What does verse 18 reveal about the sin of ungodliness? In verse 21, what does he emphasize regarding thankfulness, and what conclusions might we draw from this regarding our lives?

2. What does Paul’s summary prayer in Colossians 1: 9-10 reveal about our responsibility to God? About our ‘typical’ human-centered prayers for ourselves, friends and family members?

3. I’ve discussed a few things I did in my own ‘training program’. What have you done? What further practical things can we do each day to ‘train’ ourselves for godliness so we please and glorify God during even ordinary activities?

4. If God stood before you right now and told you to do everything to His glory, what changes would you immediately make in order to make Him the center focal point of your life?

5. Keep your own personal list of acceptable sins current.

6. Have you been ‘preaching the gospel’ to yourself? Please share your ‘system’ and some of the verses you are praying.

For July 15:
Read Chapters 8 & 9. As you read, have alongside Psalm 139: 16.

It is time for us to begin to think about “triggers” - circumstances and situations that initialize our ‘acceptable’ sins. Jerry Bridges mentioned “triggers” in Chapter 5 and has alluded to them several times since. What types of circumstances tempt you to become anxious, frustrated or discontented?