The difference between the godly & the ungodly

The difference between the godly & the ungodly

(James Meikle, "The Traveler" June 14, 1758)

There is a wide difference--in both principle and
practice--between the the godly and the ungodly.

The affections of the godly are refined--and their
desires exalted. The inclinations of the ungodly
are corrupt--and their desires groveling.

Sin has but a tottering standing, and a momentary
abode--in the godly. But sin has fixed its throne,
and taken up its eternal residence--in the ungodly.

In the godly, grace and sin struggle for sovereignty.
In the ungodly, sin domineers and there is no struggle.

The godly is deeply concerned about world to come.
The ungodly has no concern about eternal realities.

The speech of the godly is seasoned with grace.
The discourse of the ungodly is insipid and vain.

The godly has his hope fixed on God.
The ungodly has no fear of God before his eyes.

The godly use the world without abusing it.
The ungodly, in using the world, abuse both themselves and it.

The godly confesses God in his daily life, and rejoices
with his whole heart in Him. The ungodly says in his
practice--"there is no God" and wishes in his heart,
that there were no God.

The godly adores the Creator above all else.
The ungodly worships the 'creature' more than the Creator.

The godly uses God's name with profoundest reverence,
and departs from iniquity. The ungodly profanes God's
name with impudence, and adds iniquity to sin.

The godly redeems his time.
The ungodly trifles away his time.

The godly studies his duty in obedience to all God's precepts.
The ungodly shakes himself loose from every command of God.

The godly forgives his foes.
The ungodly lays a snare for his foes.

The godly commits it to God to avenge his wrong.
The ungodly, fiery and tumultuous--seeks revenge.

The godly loves chastity in all things.
The ungodly wallows in uncleanness.

The godly is content with his condition.
The ungodly covets all the day long.

The godly is pure in heart. The heart of the
ungodly is like a cage full of unclean birds.

The godly walks at liberty in the ways of God.
The ungodly is the servant and slave of sin.

The Holy Spirit rules in the heart of the godly.
Satan rules in the heart of the ungodly.

The godly has his conversation in heaven.
The ungodly has his conversation in hell.

As there is such a wide difference in their principles
and practices--so also, in their eternal destinies.
God is faithful--He has promised felicity to the pious,
and threatened vengeance to the wicked. "The wicked
is thrust out in his wickedness; but the righteous has
hope in his death." Proverbs 14:32

The godly are under the blessing of God's love.
The ungodly are under the curse of God's law.

The godly with joy, draw water out of the wells of salvation.
The ungodly shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

To the godly pertain all the exceeding great and precious promises.
To the ungodly pertain all the threatenings of God.

Heaven shall be the palace of the godly!
Hell shall be the prison of the ungodly!

While the godly shall dwell through eternity with God, the
ungodly shall be driven away into everlasting darkness!

Thus, the righteous and wicked are separated in their
life, and divided in their death. They are divided . . .
in their principles,
in their practices,
in their choices,
in their joys,
in their thoughts,
in their company,
in their speech,
in their fears,
in their expectations,
in their death,
and through eternity itself!

A hearty Amen! Blessings my friend

"there is no God and wishes in his heart,that there were no God"...In a conversation with my brother recently,I realized,that his hope is God does'nt exist.My heart is broken for him.

There could not be more striking contrasts between the two.

As the word of God says, the sheep and the goats. We belong to one group or the other.

There's no third group.

We can thank God for making us the godly people He looks for, even though we still strive to where He wants us to be.

God bless.

All Glory to God. Thank you Jesus.

http://www.myspace.com/chandru777

http://chandrus555.tripod.com/

The way to be like Jesus

(Thomas Watson, "The Beatitudes" 1660)

To render evil for evil is brutish;
to render evil for good is devilish;
to render good for evil is Christian.

"Blessed are the meek." Matthew 5:5

Meekness is a grace whereby we are enabled by
the Spirit of God, to moderate our angry passions.
Meekness has a divine beauty and sweetness in
it. This meekness consists in three things:
the bearing of injuries,
the forgiving of injuries,
the recompensing good for evil.

Meekness is opposed to:
anger,
malice,
revenge and
evil-speaking.

Meekness is a great ornament to a Christian. "The
ornament of a meek spirit—which is so precious to
God!" (1 Peter 3:4). How lovely is a saint in God's
eye, when adorned with this jewel! No garment
is more befitting to a Christian, than meekness.
Therefore we are bid to put on this garment, "Put
on therefore as the elect of God—meekness."
(Colossians 3:12)

Meekness is a noble and excellent spirit. A meek man
is a valorous man. He gets a victory over himself! Anger
arises from weakness of character. The meek man is able
to conquer his fury. "He who is slow to anger is better
than the mighty; controlling one's temper is better than
capturing a city." (Proverbs 16:32). To yield to one's
anger is easy—it is swimming along with the tide of
corrupt nature. But to turn against nature—to resist
anger, to "overcome evil with good"—this is truly
Christian.

Meekness is the best way to conquer and melt the
heart of an enemy. Meekness melts and thaws the
heart of others. The greatest victory is to overcome
an enemy—without striking a blow! Mildness prevails
more than fierceness. Anger makes an enemy of a
friend. Meekness makes a friend of an enemy.

Meekness is the way to be like Jesus—"Learn of
Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart." Mat. 11:29.
It is not profession which makes us like Jesus—but
imitation. Where meekness is lacking—we are like
brutes. Where it is present—we are like Jesus.

How To Handle Life’s Problems

•\tRomans 8:28-31 (KJV) And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

•\tRomans 8:28-31 (MSG) That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun. So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose?

•\tPhilippians 2:5 (KJV) Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

•\tPhilippians 2:5 (NCV) In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus.

•\tWHAT IS JESUS LIKE? HE IS LIKE THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT!

•\tGalatians 5:19-23 (NLT) When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.

•\t2 Corinthians 3:18 (KJV) But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

•\t2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT) And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.

•\tGalatians 5:16 (KJV) This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

•\tGalatians 5:16 (LB) I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit's instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you won't always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to.

•\tNot becoming a god, but becoming GODLY
•\tNot imitation, but HABITATION
•\tNot trying to be like Jesus, but letting Jesus be HIMSELF IN US

•\tHOW DOES THE HOLY GHOST IN US MAKE US LIKE JESUS? THREE WAYS:

1.\tThe Holy Ghost uses TRUTH to produce Christ-like character.

2 Timothy 3:15-17, Psalm 19:7-11, Psalm 119:9, 50, 105, 130, Colossians 3:16, Hebrews 4:12, Romans 15:4, 1 John 5:13, Psalm 1:2-3, Matthew 4:4, John 15:7, John 17:17, Ephesians 6:17, Acts 20:32

2.\tThe Holy Ghost uses PEOPLE to produce Christ-like character.

Ephesians 4:11-16, Titus 1:13, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Hebrews 13:16-17, 1 Peter 4:8-10, 1 Corinthians 13:1-7, 1 Peter 5:5, Galatians 6:1-5, Romans 12:9-21, Matthew 5:23-24

3.\tThe Holy Ghost uses CIRCUMSTANCES to produce Christ-like character.

2 Corinthians 4:17 (KJV) For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

2 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV) For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
•\tWhich one does God use most often? CIRCUMSTANCES, because we have them in our lives 24 hours a day!

•\tGod has a purpose behind every problem (Romans 8:28-31).

•\tOur circumstances are like ingredients in a cake, which are not good alone, but they WORK TOGETHER for good!

•\tKEY THOUGHT: God develops the Fruit of the Spirit in your life by allowing you to experience circumstances where you’re tempted to express the OPPOSITE QUALITY!

•\tEXPECT FOUR KINDS OF PROBLEMS IN LIFE:

1.\tTRIALS: designed by GOD to draw us closer to Him and build our character
2.\tTEMPTATIONS: designed by the DEVIL to draw us away from God and destroy our character
3.\tTRESPASSES: hurts caused by the sins of OTHERS
4.\tTROUBLES: usually the CONSEQUENCES of our own sinful choices

•\tThe storms of life are caused for different reasons: Jonah got in a storm because HE was out of God’s will, Paul got in a storm because OTHERS were out of God’s will, the disciples got in a storm because they were IN God’s will!

•\tKEY THOUGHT: Different kinds of problems require different kinds of responses!

•\tIf it’s a TROUBLE (your own fault), you should REPENT for it.

•\tGenesis 22:41 (NCV) They said to each other, "We are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his trouble, and he begged us to save him, but we refused to listen. That is why we are in this trouble now."
•\tPsalm 31:10 (NCV) My life is ending in sadness, and my years are spent in crying. My troubles are using up my strength, and my bones are getting weaker.
•\tPsalm 40:12 (NCV) Troubles have surrounded me; there are too many to count. My sins have caught me so that I cannot see a way to escape. I have more sins than hairs on my head, and I have lost my courage.

•\tPsalm 18:6 (NCV) In my trouble I called to the Lord. I cried out to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my call for help reached his ears.
•\tIf it’s a TEMPTATION (from the devil), you should RESIST it.

•\tMatthew 26:41 (KJV) Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
•\t1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (KJV) Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
•\tJames 1:14 (KJV) But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

•\tJames 4:7 (KJV) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

•\tIf it’s a TRESPASS (others against you), you should RELEASE it.

•\tJoshua 22:20 (KJV) Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.
•\tEzekiel 15:8 (KJV) And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord God.
•\tLuke 17:4 (KJV) And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

•\tMatthew 6:14-15 (KJV) For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

•\tIf it’s a TRIAL (allowed by God), you should REJOICE in it.

•\tRomans 5:3 (NLT) We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to endure.
•\tJames 1:2-3 (TEV) My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure.
•\tJames 1:12 (TEV) Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him.

•\t1 Peter 1:7 (NLT) These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.