Godliness

I came across this verse and it struck me as interesting.  I have always struggled with food and the suggestion about having bodily discipline is of little profit but having godliness will help you in this life and in the life to come.

1 Timothy 4:8

8 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

So I asked myself what does godliness mean?  I found this definition in my Holman Dictionary: 

Respect for God that affects the way a person lives.  The term “godliness” appears most frequently in the writings of Paul, specifically the Pastoral Epistles.  Paul encouraged Timothy to pursue “godliness” in an active manner (1 Tim. 6:11).  By so doing, he challenged him to develop true respect for God and then, in turn, to live his life based on that respect.  He emphasized the value of godliness by contrasting it to physical training (1 Tim. 4:8).  Whereas physical training has benefit for this life, Paul noted that godliness would benefit the believer in this life and in the life to come.  This characteristic was also recognized as being of “great gain” in the life of a Christian (1 Tim. 6:6).  Peter likewise encouraged his readers to add to their lives “godliness” as a way of living (2 Peter 1:6-7).  

In addition, Paul used the term to refer to God’s actions through Jesus that provided the basis for the Christian’s godliness.  According to 1 Tim. 3:16, this “mystery of godliness is great” (HSCB).  Paul also referred to some who had a “form of godliness” but denied it’s power.  These were ones who appeared to be people of piety, but their understanding and worship of God had little, if any, effect upon their lives (1 tim. 6:5) Thomas Strong

The way I see it if you achieve godliness all other things fall into place.  So I shouldn’t necessarily be after eating better, patience, self-control etc...but if I concentrate on godliness, and if I am doing well in this characteristic then I will know that I should not over indulge myself with sweets, have a short fuse with my husband because I am following God’s commands and living the way he intended.