"How ungodly am I?"

I have recently started reading "Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate", by Jerry Bridges. The chapter I am on is called "Ungodliness".

Now... when I first skimmed over this chapter... I thought to myself... I'm doing pretty good with this... I think about God all the time... I consistently pray that my life would bring Him glory... I'm teaching my children to love Jesus... I'm doing alright... (a little smug, I think)...

Bridges states, "... all of life is to be lived out in the presence of God with an eye to pleasing Him." A L L of life... so I start evaluating how I am doing with this concept... he asks the questions... how about when I eat? or drive? or shop? or socialize? Am I living ALL of my life "to the glory of God"? ... even when I'm driving?! or grocery shopping?!

He goes on, "For the godly person, God is the center and focal point of his or her life. Every circumstance and every activity of life, whether in the temporal or spiritual realms, is viewed through the lens of this God-centeredness. However, such a God-centeredness can be developed only in the context of an ever-growing intimate relationship with God. No one can genuinely desire to please God or glorify Him apart from such a relationship."

I went back and read this chapter again... but this time I prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to speak to my heart regarding any "ungodliness" in my life... Well, let me tell you... if you REALLY want to see yourself... ask the Master to hold the mirror...

Bridges goes on... "we should honestly and humbly ask, how ungodly am I? How much of my life do I live without any regard for God?"

"We are talking about living ALL of life as if God is relevant or irrelevant."

He states, "Our goal in the pursuit of godliness should be to grow more in our conscious awareness that every moment of our lives is lived in the presence of God; that we are responsible to Him and dependent on Him. This goal would include a growing desire to please Him and glorify Him in the most ordinary activities of life."

I realized... I do well with part of this... which means that I have work to do! Praise God, I have a Savior that equips me and through Him I can do all things!

Bridges continues, "Above all, pray that God will make you more conscious of the fact that you live EVERY moment of every day under His all-seeing eye. While you may not be mindful of Him, He is certainly aware of you and sees every deed you do, hears every word you say, and knows every thought you think (see Psalm 139:1-4). Beyond that, He even searches out your motives. Let us then seek to be as mindful of Him as He is of us."

The next chapter is "Anxiety and Frustration"... I'm thinking... I'm thinking I had better let the Holy Spirit work with this one too!