Seek True Godliness

2 Timothy 3:5

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.”… Let me point you to the discipline which may avert this evil. First and foremost, I would say let us cherish a clear and continual recognition of the reality of the danger. Forewarned is forearmed. He that will take counsel of his own weakness, and be taught by God’s Word how unreliable he himself is, and how strong the forces are which tend to throw his religion all to the surface, will thereby be, if not insured against the danger, at least made a greater deal more competent to deal with it.…
Rigid, habitual self-inspection, in the light of God’s Word, is an all-important help to prevent this sliding of our Christian life into superficiality.… “Watch! for we know not what may be going on underground unless we have a continual carefulness of inspection.”…
And then, lastly, and as that without which all else is vain, let us make continual and earnest and contrite efforts day by day to renew and deepen our personal communion with Jesus Christ. He is the source of the power which godliness operates in our lives, and the closer we keep to Him the more it will flood our hearts and make us real, out-and-out Christians, and not shallow and self-deceived pretenders.

Alexander Maclaren, Exposition of Holy Scripture