Some people say cleanliness is next to godliness. I don't exactly think that's accurate, but I also don't exactly know what it means. There is some kind of list that has cleanliness and godliness next to each other? Or once you get the godliness thing down, cleanliness is next in line? I also think, if cleanliness is next to godliness, they must be separate things. There are many things that are part of godliness, but cleanliness is something separate. Okay, so, I really just use those lines of logic as excuses not to clean or to be grumpy while I am complaining (grumpiness is not part of godliness either, by the way).
So, what is godliness? Some people seem to think happiness is part of godliness. I tend to think they are wrong. However, I recently read a book called The Happy Christian, which I think demonstrates that true happiness is found through godliness. In other words, God's way is the best way. He knows how we work and how things should go, so only by following His ways will we be happy.
The author, David Murray, uses many statistics and study results to demonstrate his points. He also points out that some non-Christians do a better job at some aspects of godliness than many Christians do. He shows how findings in the real world, in secular society, demonstrate some of the principles he is teaching.
He touches on quite a variety of topics. One that I appreciated at the end was the importance of diversity within the church. Since reading it, I have thought back to that section several times as my family has been looking for a church not only for me to lead worship with but also for us to plug into.
I appreciate this book overall and recommend it to you. I am thankful to BookLook Bloggers for providing this book free for review.
