What is the secret of godliness in the Christian’s life? It is not that we attract attention to ourselves by the things we do, but rather that people should see in us the life of Jesus displayed.
We have an example of this in 2 Kings 2, where Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.” Elisha’s request was, “Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.” Elijah told him, “If thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.” In other words, if Elisha did not see Elijah when he went up, Elisha could not be his representative after he was gone.
So it is that we need to have our eyes on the Lord Jesus up there that we can be His representatives down here. When Elijah went up, we read that his mantle fell. Elisha took his own clothes and rent them, setting them aside, and then put on the mantle of another. I believe the thought is that the secret of godliness is that the life of Jesus might be seen in us.
We are not to make something of ourselves that is what the world would tell us to do: “Make something of yourself.” A brother, after he had preached, was told by an unsaved man, “Why stay with such a little group? Get in with a big group and make something of yourself.” The world knows only self-exaltation, even in the things of God.
Brethren! May we be in the secret of the Lord, that God might be glorified in us individually and collectively and that the life of Jesus would be seen in us.
Here we have the secret of godliness. First of all, the Lord Jesus Himself: “God was manifest in the flesh.” What an example! Peter said that the Lord left us an example that we “should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:2121For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: (1 Peter 2:21)). Think of the pathway of the Lord Jesus. He went through every kind of situation that we can go through, and He always acted for the glory of God His Father.
He, too, always said the right thing. We read in John’s Gospel that our Lord didn’t even speak a word by Himself. Perhaps we often say, “What shall I say?” But the Lord didn’t even say one word from Himself; He didn’t ever do one thing without having a command from His Father. Brethren, that is the secret for us. Are we speaking our own words, or are we looking up to the Lord?
We see this with dear Nehemiah (Neh. 2:45) when he found himself in a tight spot. He asked the Lord, and the Lord helped him to say the right thing in that difficult situation.
Then, too, we often seek the approval of man. But we ought to seek what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:1818For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth. (2 Corinthians 10:18): “Not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.” Whose approval are we seeking? By whom do we want to be accepted?
In His pathway here the Lord Jesus was “justified in the Spirit.” As far as the world was concerned, the Lord was “despised and rejected of men.” But what did the Father think? “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
I do not believe we will have peace in our souls and in our pathway if we seek always to be well thought of by men. How good just to have the secret of the Lord to know that what we are doing is being done to please Him and in obedience to His Word.
“Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him [or, be agreeable to Him; JND]” (2 Cor. 5:99Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. (2 Corinthians 5:9)).
G. H. Hayhoe (adapted from an address)