Friday, September 01, 2006
One of God's great gifts
Family! Pleasure, pain, comforting, aggravating - and so much more, right? A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of going with my Mom and Dad to a reunion of her family in Indiana. For a weekend I interacted with a few dozen people with whom I share nothing but DNA because of having the same ancestor back a few generations! We gathered from all over the country, bringing our stories (wonder if some were tall tales?) and our pictures to share. Why would strangers (some of us, others were well acquainted) make the effort, spend the money, and invest the time to meet people who share the same great Grandfather? I'm sure that someone could give me the scientific reasons, but all I know is I felt warmth, acceptance, and a sense of kinship. Knowing who those distant cousins are helps me find a 'place' in this world.
If you're a regular reader of TFTD, you know that I am really attached to my family. Stories about my wife, my kids, and the grandkids show up here often! The greatest joys of my life are found in my adult kids, my wife, and our extended clan. My wealth is not in the bank, it's in the love we share. When we vacation, it's almost always to connect with the kids. We talk weekly, sometimes more often. I love to rejoice with them, cry with them, and to offer advice - sometimes when asked, sometimes even when they don't want it! Why? Because they are my family!
We have a big, happy family; certainly not without stresses, not without dysfunction, for ours is a family that is real and that is impacted by the sinful world where we all live. We are saints in process! Truthfully, we have grown closer in the tough times when we have had to fight through misunderstandings and disappointments with the choice of love. Admittedly, we are God-blessed family, too, and for that I have to thank the godly grandparents who sowed the seed of the Gospel into our extended families 60-70 years ago, creating a legacy of godliness from which I am reaping huge benefits.
The Bible says "Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families;...." (Psalm 68:5-6, NLT) God is a family man. Genesis is very clear that the family is His idea. The nurture of the family is a high priority for God. That fact is quite clear when we consider all the fences God builds around family relationships and the emphasis His Word places on proper order of the godly family.
Do you regard your family as a gift of God? Some of you just sighed, I heard it. You're thinking, "My family - a gift from God? Come on. They only cause me grief." Sure, I know that is sometimes true. Never the less, the family is God's plan, and we must value it. The person who treats his family with contempt, robs from himself, and misses the best that God has prepared.
The late Ray Stedman, pastor and writer, said,
"A man once asked some of his friends, "What are the three most wonderful words in the English language?"
One unmarried young man said, "To me the most wonderful words in the English language are, 'I love you.'"
A married man said, "The three most wonderful words are, 'Home Sweet Home.'"
The third man said, "To me the three most wonderful words are 'Enclosed find check.'"
I do not wish to make too much of the story except to say it may be symptomatic of an age in which materialism has become the strongest factor of our day, eclipsing even "Home Sweet Home" or "I love you."
What are your family values? Are you highly committed to your family, praying for them, loving them, serving them, and building them up?
Or have you chosen to love the things of life?
___________________________________
I'll be starting a series of messages this Sunday about the Christian family.
See you in church at 10:15 AM.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Truly wise or merely sophisticated?
There are people who are wise and there are people who are sophisticated - and they are not the same. Yesterday I greeted a boy I've known for several years. He is in the grip of adolescence and desperately works at projecting the look of teen-age sophistication. By studying the trends and carefully emulating the media celebrities of his age, he can appear quite worldly, but is he truly wise? Not yet. I've met many adults caught in much the same illusion. They drive the 'right' kind of car, buy their clothing at the 'right' stores, speak with the 'right' inflections and verb tenses. Everything about them projects worldly sophistication. Yet, when one looks beneath the surface, the sparkle of their life is only an illusion for they lack substance, the richness of character that comes from being truly wise. Sophistication is to wisdom what pyrites are to gold. Pyrites are a brass-colored mineral commonly called - fool's gold. Though it gleams, it is essentially worthless. It can deceive those looking for the real thing - but only temporarily. Just a little bit of heat quickly reveals the difference between real gold and iron pyrites!
Friend, are you seeking to be wise or merely to appear sophisticated? The Bible teaches us the road to wisdom. It isn't necessarily through Harvard's ivy halls! The Word says that 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom!" Here's the context of that statement.
"Wisdom has built her spacious house with seven pillars. She has prepared a great banquet, mixed the wines, and set the table. She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come. She calls out from the heights overlooking the city. “Come home with me,” she urges the simple. To those without good judgment, she says, “Come, eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your foolish ways behind, and begin to live; learn how to be wise.”
Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get a smart retort. Anyone who rebukes the wicked will get hurt. So don’t bother rebuking mockers; they will only hate you. But the wise, when rebuked, will love you all the more. Teach the wise, and they will be wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn more.
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding. Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer." (Proverbs 9:1-12, NLT)
God invites us to pull up to the table of life and there to learn from His counsel the way of the wise. From Him we learn to live with humility, with integrity, with obedience - and thus to become wise. Sophisticates learn to project their power, how to shrewdly cut the corners to profit themselves, how to appear independent, submissive to no one. Those who would be wise accept counsel and reproof. Those who are 'wise in their own eyes' mock their counselors.
Know this. Sophisticates appear often to be 'winning' at life! In the 73rd Psalm, the writer laments that. "Pretentious with arrogance, they wear the latest fashions in violence, Pampered and overfed, decked out in silk bows of silliness. They jeer, using words to kill; they bully their way with words. They’re full of hot air, loudmouths disturbing the peace. People actually listen to them—can you believe it? Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words." (Psalm 73:6-10, The Message) But wisdom ultimately succeeds because it is built on God's promises and God's eternal values. So the Psalmist continues, "When I was beleaguered and bitter, totally consumed by envy, I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox in your very presence. I’m still in your presence, but you’ve taken my hand. You wisely and tenderly lead me, and then you bless me. You’re all I want in heaven! You’re all I want on earth!" (Psalm 73:21-25, The Message)
Believer, seek God! Invite the Spirit to lead you to His table. Open the Word and let the counsel of God transform your mind with wisdom. Though some may regard you with contempt because you do not adopt the superficial pretensions of the wisdom of the age, do not be deterred. "Wisdom will multiply your days!"
If you lack knowledge, go to school.
If you lack wisdom, get on your knees!
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is the proper use of knowledge. -- Vance Havner
Friend, are you seeking to be wise or merely to appear sophisticated? The Bible teaches us the road to wisdom. It isn't necessarily through Harvard's ivy halls! The Word says that 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom!" Here's the context of that statement.
"Wisdom has built her spacious house with seven pillars. She has prepared a great banquet, mixed the wines, and set the table. She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come. She calls out from the heights overlooking the city. “Come home with me,” she urges the simple. To those without good judgment, she says, “Come, eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your foolish ways behind, and begin to live; learn how to be wise.”
Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get a smart retort. Anyone who rebukes the wicked will get hurt. So don’t bother rebuking mockers; they will only hate you. But the wise, when rebuked, will love you all the more. Teach the wise, and they will be wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn more.
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding. Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer." (Proverbs 9:1-12, NLT)
God invites us to pull up to the table of life and there to learn from His counsel the way of the wise. From Him we learn to live with humility, with integrity, with obedience - and thus to become wise. Sophisticates learn to project their power, how to shrewdly cut the corners to profit themselves, how to appear independent, submissive to no one. Those who would be wise accept counsel and reproof. Those who are 'wise in their own eyes' mock their counselors.
Know this. Sophisticates appear often to be 'winning' at life! In the 73rd Psalm, the writer laments that. "Pretentious with arrogance, they wear the latest fashions in violence, Pampered and overfed, decked out in silk bows of silliness. They jeer, using words to kill; they bully their way with words. They’re full of hot air, loudmouths disturbing the peace. People actually listen to them—can you believe it? Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words." (Psalm 73:6-10, The Message) But wisdom ultimately succeeds because it is built on God's promises and God's eternal values. So the Psalmist continues, "When I was beleaguered and bitter, totally consumed by envy, I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox in your very presence. I’m still in your presence, but you’ve taken my hand. You wisely and tenderly lead me, and then you bless me. You’re all I want in heaven! You’re all I want on earth!" (Psalm 73:21-25, The Message)
Believer, seek God! Invite the Spirit to lead you to His table. Open the Word and let the counsel of God transform your mind with wisdom. Though some may regard you with contempt because you do not adopt the superficial pretensions of the wisdom of the age, do not be deterred. "Wisdom will multiply your days!"
If you lack knowledge, go to school.
If you lack wisdom, get on your knees!
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is the proper use of knowledge. -- Vance Havner
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Controlled by appetites
Judges is one of the Bible's more difficult books to fully understand! It tells the story of God's people in an era when "everyone did what was right in his own eyes." The lack of strong leadership - political and spiritual - leads to some terrible sins and atrocities which are explained with this line - "In those days, Israel had no king." The implication is that there was no one to guide the people, no to challenge them, no one to restrain evil with law. One of the people introduced to us in that book is the man Samson. As I read his story, I see so many parallels to the way many people live in our time! He was a man controlled by his appetites, a man who lacked the ability to say, "No," to his darker desires. He wanted a woman, he took her! He was hungry, he ate whatever was available, whether ritually acceptable or not. He grew angry and killed people who stood in his way. He desired exotic entertainment, he went and found it. Samson had no restraint! Yet, we learn that he was a man born by the promise of God and a man who, from time to time, experienced the Presence of the Spirit of God in powerful ways, literally. What this man could have done if he had disciplined himself would have been amazing. What he actually did is too often stupid and tragic. His is a legacy of missed opportunities and self-destruction.
For many reasons too numerous to explore this morning, America is becoming a nation of 'Samson's.' We are unbelievably blessed with strength, resources, and opportunities but we seem to be increasingly in the grip of our emotions and impulses. We want what we want and we demand it now! We seem to think that our desires, whatever they may be, must be satisfied. We are gripped by a mindset that insists that delayed gratification is bad, that saying "no," to something today, so we can obtain a greater goal tomorrow, is a terrible sacrifice too great to bear. Evidence of our lack of restraint is everywhere.
-More than half of us are so fat we are damaging our health! And why? Because we don't know when to push away the plate and we like the foods that are loaded with fat and sugar. We know we should eat less and that we ought to eat better quality foods, but we don't!
- Many of our children are being born to unmarried mothers, which undeniably complicates things and, in many cases, leads to social problems for those children down the road. The facts are clear on this, but our culture has thrown away sexual restraint anyway.
-We won't allow our kids to be challenged by tough assignments, preferring to let them watch endless TV and play computer games. Then, we blame the educational system for failing them.
-Divorce, in most cases, is a terribly destructive thing. Life long marriage is proven to be beneficial in every way, and yet nearly one half of marriages will end in divorce because a couple is unwilling to press through the difficult moments and learn to love deeply and self-sacrificially.
Even our national policies show evidence of our demand for immediate gratification. We are consuming energy at prodigious rates, polluting the globe and producing climate change. Could we change that? Sure, if we wanted to, but we don't care! Imagine the outcry if our national leaders implemented policies to cause us to drive cars that were smaller and more fuel efficient! Everyone in America knows that our health care system is broken by sky-rocketing costs and demand for doctors to heal problems brought on, in too many cases, by our own poor choices, but we won't begin to diet and exercise. It's easier, so we think, to demand a pill for the problem. No one is leading us to envision a new way of providing care to the poorest in our rich nation. The Social Security system is headed for a crisis, but our leaders won't solve the problem because the solution would cost them votes from people like me who would have to bear a greater tax burden.
Ah, friend we need to read the story of Samson all the way to the end! He enjoyed his strength for a while. He slept with prostitutes, went on rampages, and toyed with Delilah - apparently without consequence for a time but then - one day he went too far. The Bible says, "... he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him." (Judges 16:20, KJV) What a declaration! God said, "enough!" and then He removed His blessings and Presence from Samson's life. The man ended up a slave to those he had tormented and exploited. The end of his ungoverned life was tragic.
Believer, you and I can change because we have Someone who lives in us that gives us wisdom, insight, and discipline. If we are alive in Christ, if we respond to His call to let Him lead, here's the result.
"With the Lord’s authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They don’t care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed.
But that isn’t what you were taught when you learned about Christ. Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness—righteous, holy, and true." (Ephesians 4:17-24, NLT)
Amen
For many reasons too numerous to explore this morning, America is becoming a nation of 'Samson's.' We are unbelievably blessed with strength, resources, and opportunities but we seem to be increasingly in the grip of our emotions and impulses. We want what we want and we demand it now! We seem to think that our desires, whatever they may be, must be satisfied. We are gripped by a mindset that insists that delayed gratification is bad, that saying "no," to something today, so we can obtain a greater goal tomorrow, is a terrible sacrifice too great to bear. Evidence of our lack of restraint is everywhere.
-More than half of us are so fat we are damaging our health! And why? Because we don't know when to push away the plate and we like the foods that are loaded with fat and sugar. We know we should eat less and that we ought to eat better quality foods, but we don't!
- Many of our children are being born to unmarried mothers, which undeniably complicates things and, in many cases, leads to social problems for those children down the road. The facts are clear on this, but our culture has thrown away sexual restraint anyway.
-We won't allow our kids to be challenged by tough assignments, preferring to let them watch endless TV and play computer games. Then, we blame the educational system for failing them.
-Divorce, in most cases, is a terribly destructive thing. Life long marriage is proven to be beneficial in every way, and yet nearly one half of marriages will end in divorce because a couple is unwilling to press through the difficult moments and learn to love deeply and self-sacrificially.
Even our national policies show evidence of our demand for immediate gratification. We are consuming energy at prodigious rates, polluting the globe and producing climate change. Could we change that? Sure, if we wanted to, but we don't care! Imagine the outcry if our national leaders implemented policies to cause us to drive cars that were smaller and more fuel efficient! Everyone in America knows that our health care system is broken by sky-rocketing costs and demand for doctors to heal problems brought on, in too many cases, by our own poor choices, but we won't begin to diet and exercise. It's easier, so we think, to demand a pill for the problem. No one is leading us to envision a new way of providing care to the poorest in our rich nation. The Social Security system is headed for a crisis, but our leaders won't solve the problem because the solution would cost them votes from people like me who would have to bear a greater tax burden.
Ah, friend we need to read the story of Samson all the way to the end! He enjoyed his strength for a while. He slept with prostitutes, went on rampages, and toyed with Delilah - apparently without consequence for a time but then - one day he went too far. The Bible says, "... he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him." (Judges 16:20, KJV) What a declaration! God said, "enough!" and then He removed His blessings and Presence from Samson's life. The man ended up a slave to those he had tormented and exploited. The end of his ungoverned life was tragic.
Believer, you and I can change because we have Someone who lives in us that gives us wisdom, insight, and discipline. If we are alive in Christ, if we respond to His call to let Him lead, here's the result.
"With the Lord’s authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They don’t care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed.
But that isn’t what you were taught when you learned about Christ. Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness—righteous, holy, and true." (Ephesians 4:17-24, NLT)
Amen
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Holy things, holy places
A situation in my life got me to thinking about holy stuff... you know, which are holy day? What are holy places and/or holy things? Who are holy people?
The first thing I did was re-think the word - "holy." Since it is a word primarily derived from Biblical sources, I went there. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew root word which is translated "holy" is a word that means "pure, devoted, and/or dedicated to a specific use." In the New Testament Greek, the word we translate as 'holy' means to be "venerated or separated from the common for God's exclusive use." Then I read a few more passages that used the word, holy. I found that in the Old Testament, especially in the books of the Law, the discussion primarily centers around establishing a distinction of both place and people. The tabernacle and Temple were specifically holy sites. They were exclusively used for the ongoing rituals of worship and were the symbolic center of God's dwelling place on earth. Later in Jewish history, Jerusalem came to be a holy city, because it was the site of the Temple and the center of worship for the nation. There were also 'holy men' who were exclusively set apart to do the work of God, priests and Levites, descendants of Aaron. Other men and/or women would occasionally be considered holy as a result of the Spirit's work in their lives. Most were called, 'prophets.'
In the New Testament, a new concept of holiness emerges. Holy places and holy things, people being holy because of their family status are all set aside. What emerges is the concept that ALL those who are Christ's are holy people and that the site of worship is not a building or city. God's temples are Believers. He lives in you and in me! Peter exclaims - "Come to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by the people, but he is precious to God who chose him. And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are God’s holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:4-5, NLT)
Our human tendency to try to make Jerusalem or Rome into "holy cities," or Easter or Christmas into "holy days" (e.g., holidays), our church into a temple, and professional clergy into 'holy men' is simply a misplaced emphasis! You and I are to be holy - for God, the Holy Spirit, lives in us.
So, what does this calling to be God's holy people and temples mean? Must we start to wear long black coats, keep a dour look on our faces, and practice solemnity? That's what some would say. There is a certain kind of impression of holiness that comes with wearing esoteric clothing like clerical collars or black uniforms, but those can easily be quite superficial. Any old actor can buy the 'holy look.' Does it mean that we have to move into closed communities and live in dormitories? Some groups have tried that, but eventually they become so 'separate' they die out and leave no lasting legacy for God's honor in this world.
Holiness must go deeper, way deeper, than merely some rules imposed on us about our day to day behavior. Such rules may work for short time to make appear holy, but soon we find loopholes or we just ignore them altogether. And then, too, most holiness codes eventually become irrelevant as the world changes around us. The code that is designed to make people holy for one generation will not address the behaviors of the next.
The glorious truth is that we are called to embrace our calling and to become 'living sacrifices' whose words and actions reflect that we belong to God - all the time, everywhere. How that works out in everyday life is uniquely a reflection of God's work in us individually. God has gifted me to teach and write. My holiness will be reflected in the discipline of my mind and the dedication of my thoughts to Him. Whatever your gifts and abilities become a means of worshipping Him and you can use those gifts to display your devotion to Him by dedicated them to His purposes.
Of course holiness will show in some shared traits of behavior that are necessary of all God's people, in all places, and at all times. Those who walk intimately with Christ will love God with single-minded devotion and love other people intensely! Jesus said that these twin loves are the core of Christian ethics and the foundation from which we determine the morality of all actions. A holiness rooted in love for God and others will, according to the Bible, begin to show up in the way we act and speak. Paul says - "...among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." (Ephesians 5:3-4, NIV) Please note - that kind of life cannot be imposed from the external! This passage refers to a life that grows out of a intimacy with Christ that transforms our lives. A person who loves Christ will find it inconceivable to be sexually promiscuous! A person whose heart is full of worship will not curse freely, for as James asks, "Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! My friends, this can’t go on. A spring doesn’t gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it?" (James 3:10-11, The Message)
Let me ask you if you've fallen into the same mistake that was tempting me. Are you dividing your life into what is 'holy' and what is 'secular?' If we do that, we are missing out on the true joy of being holy. For the Christian no day, no place, no person is more holy than the next. Every moment is a holy one lived in God's Presence. Every Believer is a priest whose life offers up sacrificial worship and whose words offer grace to those in need. And, every place on earth we go, we can make into a sanctuary!
Here's a word from the Word to ponder today ---
"As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” You call out to God for help and he helps—he’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living. Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God." (1 Peter 1:15-17, The Message)
The first thing I did was re-think the word - "holy." Since it is a word primarily derived from Biblical sources, I went there. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew root word which is translated "holy" is a word that means "pure, devoted, and/or dedicated to a specific use." In the New Testament Greek, the word we translate as 'holy' means to be "venerated or separated from the common for God's exclusive use." Then I read a few more passages that used the word, holy. I found that in the Old Testament, especially in the books of the Law, the discussion primarily centers around establishing a distinction of both place and people. The tabernacle and Temple were specifically holy sites. They were exclusively used for the ongoing rituals of worship and were the symbolic center of God's dwelling place on earth. Later in Jewish history, Jerusalem came to be a holy city, because it was the site of the Temple and the center of worship for the nation. There were also 'holy men' who were exclusively set apart to do the work of God, priests and Levites, descendants of Aaron. Other men and/or women would occasionally be considered holy as a result of the Spirit's work in their lives. Most were called, 'prophets.'
In the New Testament, a new concept of holiness emerges. Holy places and holy things, people being holy because of their family status are all set aside. What emerges is the concept that ALL those who are Christ's are holy people and that the site of worship is not a building or city. God's temples are Believers. He lives in you and in me! Peter exclaims - "Come to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by the people, but he is precious to God who chose him. And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are God’s holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:4-5, NLT)
Our human tendency to try to make Jerusalem or Rome into "holy cities," or Easter or Christmas into "holy days" (e.g., holidays), our church into a temple, and professional clergy into 'holy men' is simply a misplaced emphasis! You and I are to be holy - for God, the Holy Spirit, lives in us.
So, what does this calling to be God's holy people and temples mean? Must we start to wear long black coats, keep a dour look on our faces, and practice solemnity? That's what some would say. There is a certain kind of impression of holiness that comes with wearing esoteric clothing like clerical collars or black uniforms, but those can easily be quite superficial. Any old actor can buy the 'holy look.' Does it mean that we have to move into closed communities and live in dormitories? Some groups have tried that, but eventually they become so 'separate' they die out and leave no lasting legacy for God's honor in this world.
Holiness must go deeper, way deeper, than merely some rules imposed on us about our day to day behavior. Such rules may work for short time to make appear holy, but soon we find loopholes or we just ignore them altogether. And then, too, most holiness codes eventually become irrelevant as the world changes around us. The code that is designed to make people holy for one generation will not address the behaviors of the next.
The glorious truth is that we are called to embrace our calling and to become 'living sacrifices' whose words and actions reflect that we belong to God - all the time, everywhere. How that works out in everyday life is uniquely a reflection of God's work in us individually. God has gifted me to teach and write. My holiness will be reflected in the discipline of my mind and the dedication of my thoughts to Him. Whatever your gifts and abilities become a means of worshipping Him and you can use those gifts to display your devotion to Him by dedicated them to His purposes.
Of course holiness will show in some shared traits of behavior that are necessary of all God's people, in all places, and at all times. Those who walk intimately with Christ will love God with single-minded devotion and love other people intensely! Jesus said that these twin loves are the core of Christian ethics and the foundation from which we determine the morality of all actions. A holiness rooted in love for God and others will, according to the Bible, begin to show up in the way we act and speak. Paul says - "...among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." (Ephesians 5:3-4, NIV) Please note - that kind of life cannot be imposed from the external! This passage refers to a life that grows out of a intimacy with Christ that transforms our lives. A person who loves Christ will find it inconceivable to be sexually promiscuous! A person whose heart is full of worship will not curse freely, for as James asks, "Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! My friends, this can’t go on. A spring doesn’t gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it?" (James 3:10-11, The Message)
Let me ask you if you've fallen into the same mistake that was tempting me. Are you dividing your life into what is 'holy' and what is 'secular?' If we do that, we are missing out on the true joy of being holy. For the Christian no day, no place, no person is more holy than the next. Every moment is a holy one lived in God's Presence. Every Believer is a priest whose life offers up sacrificial worship and whose words offer grace to those in need. And, every place on earth we go, we can make into a sanctuary!
Here's a word from the Word to ponder today ---
"As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” You call out to God for help and he helps—he’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living. Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God." (1 Peter 1:15-17, The Message)
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