God expects his people to be godly.  Godliness should be a characteristic of every person living in Christ.  If we are godly in Christ, we have a special relationship with God and enjoy all the benefits of being in favor with Him. 

Psalm 4:3 (ESV)
³  But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.

What does it mean to be godly?  Vine tells us that godliness “denotes that piety which, characterized by a Godward attitude, (and) does that which is well-pleasing to Him.”  This tells us that godliness begins in the heart and is demonstrated by our lives.  It is not something that we inherently have, but must train ourselves to develop.

1 Timothy 4:7-8 (ESV)
⁷  Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; ⁸  for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

When one exercises physically, he usually uses some kind of equipment like weights, treadmills, bicycles, etc.  The grace of God, in the form of God’s Word, is the equipment we use to train ourselves for godliness.  Paul told Titus that the grace of God not only trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, but also to live godly lives (Titus 2:11-12).  It should be noted, however, that just like only looking at the physical equipment and not using it will never result in being in good shape, merely having possession of a Bible will never cause one to be godly.  We must use the Word of God if we expect to be godly.  This is how we train.

Hebrews 5:14 (ESV)
¹⁴  But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

There is no other way to live faithfully in Christ.  The more we exercise by practicing God’s Word, the more we can distinguish good from evil and live godly.

Living godly in Christ is not only beneficial for us right now, but it is also the proper way to prepare for the coming of our Lord.   This is why Paul said it holds promise for both the present life and the life to come.  Peter agreed with this assessment.

2 Peter 3:10-11 (ESV)
¹⁰  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. ¹¹  Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,

Being in Christ is the only place where salvation can be realized (2 Timothy 2:10).  We should know, however, that just being in Christ is not enough.  We must behave ourselves properly as we await the coming of our Savior.  This begins with being godly, demonstrated by the right attitude toward God, and a life that is well-pleasing to Him.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.