…it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” —1 Peter 1:16
We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life. We are not destined to happiness, nor to health, but to holiness. Today we have far too many desires and interests, and our lives are being consumed and wasted by them. Many of them may be right, noble, and good, and may later be fulfilled, but in the meantime God must cause their importance to us to decrease. The only thing that truly matters is whether a person will accept the God who will make him holy. At all costs, a person must have the right relationship with God.
Do I believe I need to be holy? Do I believe that God can come into me and make me holy? If through your preaching you convince me that I am unholy, I then resent your preaching. The preaching of the gospel awakens an intense resentment because it is designed to reveal my unholiness, but it also awakens an intense yearning and desire within me. God has only one intended destiny for mankind— holiness. His only goal is to produce saints. God is not some eternal blessing-machine for people to use, and He did not come to save us out of pity— He came to save us because He created us to be holy. Atonement through the Cross of Christ means that God can put me back into perfect oneness with Himself through the death of Jesus Christ, without a trace of anything coming between us any longer.
Never tolerate, because of sympathy for yourself or for others, any practice that is not in keeping with a holy God. Holiness means absolute purity of your walk before God, the words coming from your mouth, and every thought in your mind— placing every detail of your life under the scrutiny of God Himself. Holiness is not simply what God gives me, but what God has given me that is being exhibited in my life.
Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord,
The term “holiness” is difficult for me. It has connotations (for me anyway) of lofty and unattainable expectations and “holier than thou” and hypocritical outside holiness. Can I just assume that opening the door as John said in Revelation 3:20 will generate holiness, almost as a by-product?
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
That will indeed happen if some of your assumptions are kept. Surrender is essential. Mainly surrender of your ego and the impulses from your false self or “flesh.” The Big Four, your need to Look Good, Feel Good, Be Right and Be In Control. When those are surrendered you will have made room for me (us) in your heart and you will start seeing the bigger picture, seeing thru our eyes, You will find compassion in your heart that wasn’t there before. You could call it a by product, but actually it is the main product. It is the holiness that was the objective all along.
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