Read 1 Timothy 4:7

Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas
and old wives’ tales.
Instead, train yourself to be godly.
1 Timothy 4:7

Distance from God is a frightening thing. God will never adjust His agenda to fit ours. He will not speed His pace to catch up with ours; we need to slow our pace in order to recover our walk with Him. God will not scream and shout over the noisy clamour; He expects us to seek quietness, where His still, small voice can be heard again. God will not work within the framework of our complicated schedules; we must adapt to His style. We need to conform to His way if our lives are to be characterized by the all-encompassing word: godliness.

Godliness is still our desire as believers, isn’t it?

But the great question is, how? How do busy people, living fast-paced and complicated lives, facing relentless pressures, consistently walk with God? Whatever would be included in the answers, we can be assured that they will not come naturally, automatically, quickly, or easily. I do not think a person on this earth has ever been automatically godly or quickly godly or easily and naturally godly. “This world is no friend of grace to help us on to God.” Everything around us is designed to make us dissatisfied with our present condition.

One man said that while he was driving through Los Angeles on one occasion, he felt like he was driving through a giant dictionary—words everywhere, sounds everywhere, signs everywhere, saying, “Use me, take me, buy me, drink me, smell me, touch me, kiss me, sleep with me.” He found himself longing to get away from all those words, all those giant signs and sounds. Why? Not because there was something innately wrong with those things—some, but not all. He grieved that it was all so empty, so devoid of God.

So how do we pull it off? How, in a world bent on distracting us from growing deeper in our first love, always enticing us to pursue the pointless, do we find closeness with God? How do you and I become godlier?

This question has led me back to a word that I used much more in my early days in ministry than I have in recent years. The word is: discipline. The secret lies in our returning to the spiritual disciplines.

Taken from The Owner’s Manual for Christians by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2009 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinschristian.com