A great man and Pastor, Woodrow Kroll, would end his radio program with, "Have a good and godly day. Of what lasting value is a good day if it is not also godly?!" I was a young married woman when I first heard this profound statement. I worked through the question as well. This statement may not have originated with him, but it caused deep musing on my part. "What lasting value is a good day if it is not also godly?" Eventually, this pushed me to make 1 Corinthians 15:58 my life verse, "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." This led me to the conclusion that practical living cannot be separated from the precepts of Scripture. Good is not simply making the right choices; it is about the depth of the relationship between me, Jesus, and the Father. It's about walking in the Spirit and not fulfilling my own desires because I'm in a committed relationship with practical implications.
There is no separating Sunday from the rest of the week. The relationship with Jesus is not a call for behavioral modification. When that is the conclusion, life looks more robotic and can quickly become legalistic. It becomes impossible to combine "godly and good" without a list of what that would look like for the one implementing this change. I recognized that a deep, abiding relationship with the Lord makes a "good and godly day" possible and second nature. The intimacy of meditation on His Word. The reward is offering thanksgiving and supplications to Him. The renewing of the mind when it comes to taking in Scripture. All of these develop the covenant relationship that makes practical, good living godly. The Lord motivates our commitment. The covenant relationship sets the boundaries that make for good and godly decisions.
Before I married my husband, I had a few young men who were interested in me. I went on a few dates. I was in a relationship with one of these guys, but it did not last. Finally, finding the man who'd love me and receive my love in return changed the dating scene forever. Once we committed ourselves through covenant marriage to one another, it was not difficult to say no to any man who'd flirt with me, even with a wedding ring in view. I did not find it flattering but insulting that a man would dare to impose himself on me and disrespect my husband. The more my understanding grew of not just being married but being in covenant with Marlon, the easier it was for me to live in the joy of that relationship. There were times when I was not happy in my marriage. Even with that, I had the depth of covenant attached to my heart so that my emotions did not change the security of my marriage. I understood that my vows were immovable. Living that out in good, bad, easy, complex, or other would not change. The relationship was solid. I knew my husband, and he knew me. No matter what came our way, he could trust that I would live the covenant relationship for the better or worse. I would use all that came our way and grow from it. Practically, living out those vows would come easier because the relationship usurped the difficulties. The commitment was more substantial than the struggles. I lived looking forward to all our marriage had to offer. We committed the practical everyday living out of our marriage to what the Scripture said about the relationship. That allowed us to have a good and godly marriage that would not be in vain practically. It offered God a tool to use on earth, as Paul says it is supposed to be in Ephesians.
Right before Paul says the words from 1 Corinthians 15:58, he explores the meaning of the power of Jesus' resurrection and its implications for them as followers of Jesus. He encourages them that their relationship with Jesus is not in vain. Just as He rose and his body was changed, they could count on, "When our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, 'Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?'" Paul offered the greatness of the covenant relationship with Jesus that they and every follower of Jesus could hope in. When he says, "Your labor in the Lord is not in vain," there is an assurance of the commitment and an understanding on our part in the relationship and the promises of God that come to His children who have surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus. This assurance impacts our practical everyday living. Life allows the good to be godly, as we live out of covenant relationship.
The relationship in Christ impacts our practical lives, just like marriage impacts a man and his wife. Those who have entered the relationship of eternal life have vowed to live obediently, not because they are made to but because they've developed an understanding of the love that comes with commitment. Jesus decries, "Why do you call me, 'Lord, 'Lord, and do not do what I say?" It would be the same if Marlon asked, "Why do you call me your husband and do not stay faithful?"
What makes us do good is understanding the commitment to godliness that has entered our lives when we said, "I do" to Jesus. If we think salvation is about heaven, we miss the point of eternal life. Nowhere in the bible does salvation equal going to heaven. Salvation begins a covenant relationship with the Father, through His Son, empowered by the Spirit, John 17:3. It begins the moment we start following Jesus. We also do not consider doing good as a rule to keep, but as our relationship grows, the eternal life that allows us to know The Father and the son becomes intimately essential to us—having what's godly interrupts good, practical living. A good day becomes living out his righteousness that became ours in Jesus. The godly turns the good living into being salt and light, and we often don't even recognize our testimony for Jesus. It isn't because we tried harder; it's because we value our covenant relationship with him.
As I contemplate, "for of what lasting value is a good day if it is not also godly" did not cause me to begin to live some ethereal, spiritual life of looking for Jesus in the dishes or laundry. It caused me to value the true depth of my relationship with him and made me recognize how practical living, no matter the good or chaos of it, can be an opportunity to show him how much I love him by trusting the promises of His Word. The greatest of all promises is his defeat of death, which has become my victory. If he went that far to bring me into a relationship with The Father, how much more will he do for the struggles of everyday life? Just like I live with my husband's good in mind, I live with Jesus' good in mind. That means I remember he is Lord, which causes me to do what he said.
As I live every moment of my day, I know it can go any way it might. Yet, I understand that all of what comes my way will work for my good. That is a promise to those who love God, obediently and are called according to His purposes. With that in mind, every practical moment is not just a good day; as I offer it to God, it is a godly day. As I fix my eyes on him and all that practically comes my way, I remember the most significant promise that death has no sting, and I throw on my shoes, get to my feet, and live, knowing that my living is not in vain, and a good day is also godly.
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