Holiness Is For Those Who Love Him

Holiness can often be a difficult topic for a believer to define and detail.  On the one hand, most believers realize that they have zero shot at being holy.  Others make such a long list of do’s and don’ts, they think by sticking to that list as closely as possible, it will fulfill this seemingly impossible command.  How in the world can we ever be holy just because God is holy?  And yet, here is the commandment!  One of my favorite Christian books of all time is “The Pursuit of Holiness” by Jerry Bridges.  In it, he spells out the many truths the scripture has to offer about holiness.  He starts the book out in this manner:  He receives an early morning phone call from a person that just seems to always push his buttons.  The man is in rare form, arrogant, demanding, pushy…He hung up the phone in a rage!!!  Just 30 minutes before, he read this truth in his morning devotions, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”  Now, the quiet time with the Lord which set his day toward a peaceful and “holy” start was ripped to shreds by one phone call…just one!  How will we ever achieve any amount of holiness on our part if we can be thwarted by one person or one incident on any given day.  

The encouragement that I offer to you today is this: the Lord does not expect you to be perfect.  He knows you will fail.  He created you.  He formed you in the womb.  You can’t hide your faults from Him.  He knows all those “buttons.”  He is the Potter, and you are His clay.  He will shape and mold you for a lifetime.  What He wants you to do is to submit to this molding.  Conversely, even though He doesn’t expect you to be perfect, He expects you to strive to achieve perfection.  AAAHHH!  Well, isn’t this legalism?  Let me give you a baseball analogy.  Any pitcher in the major leagues who is worth his weight in salt will tell you that every start he makes, he is striving to pitch a perfect game.  A perfect game is rare.  It has occurred only 24 times in MLB.  But what helps the individual pitcher to have at least a shot at a perfect game is the practice and effort he puts forth.  The 4am wake ups in the off season.  The many hours of practice and concentration that nobody sees.  The point is that there is part of this “holiness” that is your responsibility.  He will mold you, but, like the baseball pitcher, you need to get into the gym.  For the believer that means you need to be grounded in God’s word. Read your Bibles. You need to meditate on God’s truth.  You need to be in prayer daily.  The Potter has promised to do His work, but you must discipline yourself to establish healthy spiritual habits.  Of course, ask daily for His strength. Without Him, you won’t succeed.  You have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.  You did NOTHING to earn salvation, but you are to put forth effort to be holy like your Heavenly Father!!

Dave F. 

   ‘69 / ‘76 / Egg Harbor Twp   NJ

Doris Jean H

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA