“… For as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.” (Romans 6:19)
The essence of ungodliness is the worship of ourselves. Godliness, or the true worship of God, cannot be gained unless ungodliness is refused. Who though wants to gain godliness? Many don’t mind having a form of godliness, but few are interested in a life of real godliness. Calling Jesus Lord is common; submitting to His right to rule us body, soul, and spirit is rare.
God did not create us to worship ourselves. He created us for His pleasure – that we might give ourselves to Him. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)
We have been saved to worship God in spirit and in truth. The work of the cross was designed to demolish our self-worship. We who once gave ourselves to ourselves to do what we thought right and brought us pleasure have now been liberated from our idolatrous ways to become the willing worshippers of a worthy God. We are now taught by the Holy Spirit that dwells within us what things are acceptable and unacceptable in the sight of God.
There are those things which we should not now give our minds and bodies over to. Likewise, there are those things we should be giving ourselves over to. We are no longer to be caught up and consumed by those things which once captivated us. Why? Because “the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11,12)
Jesus died to sin on our behalf, not because He was a sinner; but so that we might be dead to sin, and alive unto righteousness. Determine that He will not have died in vain for you. Let Him “see of the travail of his soul” and “be satisfied.”