Godly Leadership among the people of God is critical. If a man cannot lead himself or his family well, how is he to lead others well? Unfortunately, disciplining yourself for godliness isn’t popular (1 Tim 4:7). Many opt out. Some to their own eternal loss (Heb 12:14). But fortunately, godliness is actually real gain (1 Tim 4:8; 6:6). To live a godly life is to enter into God’s blessing, and that blessing has a way of cascading into others’ lives. Here are some resources to help you cultivate the blessing of a godly life:
Discipleship
- The Walk: Steps for New & Renewed Followers of Jesus – great place to start in disciplining yourself for godliness
- Future Grace / Battling Unbelief – combination of theology and practice, these books remind us that what God demands he supplies through his promise of future grace
- You Can Change – eminently practical and gospel-centered approach to real godly change
- Counterfeit Gods: – insightful, stirring, and penetrating look at how we fall pray to worshipping false gods
- The Holiness of God – Holiness 101
- Fight Clubs: Gospel-centered Discipleship – 60 page intro to fighting the fight of faith in community
- Gospel-centred Family – excellent, practical, short, and grace-saturated
- Resources for Biblical Womanhood
- Resources for Biblical Manhood
Deacons
- When People are Big and God is Small – good for people who struggle with the approval of others
- The New Testament Deacon – good biblical introduction to the office of deacon
- Ministries of Mercy – excellent for understanding the Christian call to mercy, littered with wisdom
- “Deacons in the Church” – sermon that covers the what, how, and why of deacon service
- David: Man of God, Man of Prayer – stirring book on godliness through reflections on the life of David
- The Godly Man’s Picture – a Puritan sketch of godliness, littered with gospel truths
- Gospel-centred Family – excellent, practical, short, and grace-saturated
Elders
- The Shepherd Leader – easy to read, hard to apply, biblical call to leading others as an elder
- Biblical Eldership – good biblical intro to elders
- Mortification of Sin – classic work on putting sin to death and embracing life in Christ
- “Men in the Church” – sermon that covers the what, how, and why of eldering
- Gospel-centred Family – excellent, practical, short, and grace-saturated
Growing in godliness is hard, rewarding work. If you’re striving to live a life of obedience to Christ, be encouraged that he has given you his Spirit to fulfill your desires for godliness. The challenge is to surrender to the desires of the Spirit, not succumb to the desires of the flesh. God stirs up the desires of the Spirit through his Word, worship, and prayer. Throw yourself into these graces and reap the reward of godliness. As you do, you’ll become a blessing to your family, your church, and your city.