Category: Bible

Going for Godliness #SundaySuggestion

This year begins on a Sunday so I am kicking off the year with a Sunday Suggestion.

One of the most popular posts of last year was – Go for a Goal – which was another Sunday Suggestion. I could launch 2023 with a similar theme, but I am sure you will hear enough about New Years’ Resolutions in the coming days. Instead, let me ask you – how ought you to live your life as a Christian in 2023?

Peter, in his second letter, talks of the end of all things. He says this:

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives

2 Peter 3:11 NIV

Peter instructs that as all things will end one day, we ought to live our lives in holy and godly ways.

These words are in reference to the end of the world or the last days, and we could spend much time discussing if we are indeed in the last of the latter times. We certainly see many signs that Jesus warned us of, and yet every generation believed itself to be the final one. Two things are for sure; 1) we are closer to the end than we were yesterday, and 2) life is short and last days or not, each of us could find ourselves standing before the Lord a lot sooner than we ever thought possible.

Given this, it is all the more vital that you and I live holy and godly lives. My suggestion for you today, and for this entire year, is to go for godliness.

What is godliness, and how do we go for it?

What is #godliness? How can we be #holy? #Bible #Jesus #Christianity

Godliness and holiness are close cousins. To be holy is to be set apart for a specific purpose – namely, to serve God. Godliness is to be like God in character, and to think and act in accordance with His will.

This is not easy for us to achieve, and impossible in our own strength. Only through constant study of God’s Word and fellowship with Him and His Spirit can we ever hope to act in a godly manner. Our born-again heart might be new, but we wrestle with our sinful nature and conquer it through prayer and the renewing of our minds.

Going for godliness is to put God first in your life, and to prioritise Christian practices over the things of this temporary world. Watching TV  is not wrong, nor is any of your hobbies, but if they replace your fellowship with Christ, then you will never be able to live as you ought.

It is not something you can do overnight, and in fact, will take effort each and every day of 2023. You do not go it alone, as you have the continual comfort of the Holy Spirit, and the fellowship of believers who travel  with you.

Decide today to made 2023 the most godly year of your life to date. Put God first, and live in accordance with the Scriptures and in line with the Gospel. Pray for me as I do the same, and let us each look forward to the coming of our Lord – sooner or later.

God bless you this year!

UK Christian Bloggers – Andy Brown (Best of 2022)

For my final best of the year series of posts, I want to share one from the UK Christian bloggers.

Over the last year, a group of UK-based bloggers have been getting together regularly to pray and swap stories. It’s been a tremendous encouragement. I want to publicly thank each and everyone of them today.

If you are looking for something to read or watch, do check out their blogs. There is some wonderful material there and you will not be disappointed.



Hi! My name is Andy Brown, you may remember me from such blogs as andy-brown.org…! It has indeed been some time since my last proper post, although I have tried to share some older material and some great posts from friends and fellow bloggers. Life has gotten rather busy and my writing has suffered. I…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/06/18/uk-christian-bloggers/

I’m Sorry – Andy Brown (Best of 2022)

Not exactly one of my most popular posts from this year, but I really like it! So I’m sharing it with you today. Hopefully you won’t have much cause to use this advice in the coming year, but just in case! 

I was thinking about apologising this week, not that there was a particular incident which I needed to say sorry for, but instead I was reflecting on how bad we are at it – generally speaking! Is that through lack of practise I wonder? We all make mistakes, and yet we often fail to apologise…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/02/03/im-sorry/

God’s Glory or Your Comfort? – Andy Brown (Best of 2022)

This was one of my most read Pearls of Wisdom from this year.

I hope you enjoy reading it again tody

Pearls of Wisdom God’s number one goal is NOT to make you comfortable Some Christian TV channels are great, but not all of their content lines up with Scripture. You do have to be discerning. If you tune in to the wrong show or preacher, you might be misled into thinking that God’s number one…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/01/19/gods-glory-or-your-comfort/

Then Wisdom (Proverbs 2:5-8) – Andy Brown (Best of 2022)

Over the course of 2022, I have written a series of posts in the book of proverbs. This particular post had the most views, so I share it with you again today as part of my best of the year. 

In yesterday’s post – If Wisdom – we saw and understood that wisdom required certain things from us. A choice was given to us, and we could opt to follow the path of insight or to tread the way of foolishness. What are the benefits of wisdom though? We posed the question yesterday, if I…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/01/18/then-wisdom-proverbs-25-8/

When one door closes another one opens (RB)

Do spare a thought and a prayer for brother Dean at this time. Thanks for reading.

Hi everyone! Hope that you are well and have had a great Christmas! How was Christmas for you? I have been quiet lately in the blogging sphere. To be…

When one door closes another one opens

Preaching to the Choir – Andy Brown (Best of 2022)

Are you preaching to the choir? Is that wasteful, or does the choir need your encouragement as well? It was a great pleasure yesterday evening to meet (on video) a couple of fellow Christian bloggers, and lovely to share some of our stories, questions and experiences of ministering through this medium. It was humbling to…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/04/09/preaching-to-the-choir/

Poor Little Fig Tree – Andy Brown (Best of 2022)

On Tuesday, I wrote a post entitled Anything, which looked at the awesome power of prayer. Yesterday, I shared a post called – A Fig Tree – which picked up that theme, and was written by the excellent blogger Bruce Cooper. Some comments on these posts highlighted to me that many do not fully understand…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/06/23/poor-little-fig-tree/

Psalm 150 Poetry – Andy Brown (Best of 2022)

As I explain in this post, I have never been much of one for poetry. That is why I was quite surprised to learn that this was actually one of my most popular posts this year.

If you missed it the first time around, I hope you enjoy this repost today.



I have been dabbling with a bit of poetry lately. It has never been something I was particularly good at or interested in, but perhaps the Lord is opening up something new. Perhaps not! Time will tell! This first attempt at a poem is based around Psalm 150, and is perhaps a little trite to…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/01/05/psalm-150-poetry/

This Sunday at Church: Give a book on the Incarnation or the Birth of Christ (RB)

Another excellent idea here, sharing this one with you today. Enjoy!

This Sunday at Church I want to encourage you to do the following: Give a book on the Incarnation or the Birth of Christ. This idea isn’t just only …

This Sunday at Church: Give a book on the Incarnation or the Birth of Christ

Fasting – Sunday Suggestion – Andy Brown (Best of 2022)

Over the season of Lent, I have been fasting. It has not always gone according to plan, I hasten to add, but it has been an enriching experience in many ways. This Sunday, why not give it a try yourself? Be sure to do it sensibly and wisely if you have never done it before.…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/04/10/fasting-sunday-suggestion/

One Thing I Ask – Andy Brown (Best of 2022)

The one thing I ask of the Lord—    the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,    delighting in the Lord’s perfections    and meditating in his Temple.Psalm 27:4 (WEB) I recall a time when I was speaking to a group of students about what heaven…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/01/29/one-thing-i-ask/