Words pierce when they are God-words…
“We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life. We are not destined to happiness, nor to health, but to holiness….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.” -Oswald Chambers
The only way we use the word “holiness” today is as a poetic chant in our favorite praise song. We want nothing to do with real holiness if it means interference with our desires and interests.
Why can’t I remember that God’s ONLY purpose is to make me holy? Holy and happy are sometimes very far apart. I want to be happy. He wants me to be holy. Sometimes they collide, but He isn’t really concerned with that. I’m busy trying to orchestrate my circumstances to be happy and I have to wonder, how many times do I hinder His attempts to make me holy?
What does it mean to be holy? Christians aren’t even taught holiness. The very word falls awkward on our ears and we recoil a bit. Can I even get to the place where all I care about is being completely His, used by Him, for His purposes, no matter the cost?
Can I say to Him, “I am yours, make me holy?” and then see every circumstance in my life as that which is effecting the very prayer in me?
My heart ponders today….what does it mean to be holy, and am I willing for Him to make me? And I wonder, what do you think it means to be holy?
(From the archives)
9 comments
At least part of it is being emptied of self and filled with the Spirit to the point where my desires become His Desires, where my will lines up with His Will, where my thoughts reflect His Thoughts, where every moment finds me asking, “What do You want me focused on right now?”
Your words reminded me of a C. S. Lewis quote: We’re not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.
Praying for His continued Provision and Peace for all of you.
I wrote about this on my blog last week as I pondered how little “fear” of God we have. We like to “draw near with out lips” singing “Holy, Holy, Holy” but we need to let that holiness have some kind of effect on our walk…and we stop there today. Isaiah saw the Lord and realized He was a man of unclean lips …a prophet even! When we truly see how “other” and unlike us God is …we will not be so raging and confident in our own freedom. We will be begging God to have mercy on us and asking the Holy Spirit (emphasis on the Holy) to show us even our very next step.
Thankyou so much for this! I really needed to hear that! I grew up in a home where we all had GREAT masks!!! My grandfather was a pastor, and we were all active in his church! The story at home however was VERY different! If we had been taught to strive to be HOLY rather than HAPPY how different our lives would be!! Now we are a family split by the lies of Satan! I praise God EVERY day for removing the vail from my eyes and showing me that true HAPPINESS isnt what I thought it was at all! Thankyou for the reminder and encouragement! I thank God He led me to your blog!!! Praying for your family and neighbors that God would continue to be MIGHTY on your behalf!
you sister in Christ~ Melissa
Holiness is so foreign. But it is who He called us to be. “Be ye holy and I am Holy” was not a suggestion, it was a directive, a command. And He would not command us to do something unless it was possible. We take sin as “character traits” instead of seeing them in their ugliness. We rationalize, excuse and tolerate sin because “we aren’t Jesus, He was the only one perfect.” The Body of Christ fails to try to be an imitator of Christ. Our Pastors, in an effort to show how human they are, joke about their own sinfulness instead of bringing it to light to openly mourn.
Thankfully, I am only accountable to God for me and what we teach our daughter. I give praise to God for teaching us this lesson a couple of years ago. We are no longer in the boat of the blind because of God’s teachings to us. I just mourn for those who haven’t heard because it refuses to be taught.
Romans 10:14How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?
Let us be bold for Christ!
Thank you for the wonderful posts from the archives. I need them again. This is an excellent post, Kelly.
Kelly, I appreciate this post. I have pondered the same thought many days.
When my youngest baby was born – there were complications – and then a diagnosis. All the while the Lord spoke – Be ye Holy for I am Holy. The pain felt during this time is still fresh, but even more so are the words I AM HOLY.
It is sometimes through great pain that one is able to get a glimpse into His holiness. To understand His grand presence and our complete dependance on Him. Take in your surroundings; see His holiness in the midst of great destruction. Every step you take; every stone overturned; He is Holy.
I do not cease to make mention of you in my prayers, Kelly.
Phil 1:3
Holiness to me means being set apart for His use. He cannot use us effectively if we are living to please ourselves.
Thank you, Kelly, for those reminders. Oswald Chambers has such wonderful insights. I have been going through such a difficult time right now, and as I was praying this morning and bemoaning my inabilities and failings as a mother and a wife (these days it’s especially that) God brought to mind this Scripture, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” and it just reminded me that right now I’m seeking only to be a better wife and mother and I need to be seeking His kingdom first, then all those things will be added to me.
A thought sparked by each of you: might it be that we become holy AS we walk, follow, watch, discover on the path down which Jesus, THE HOLY ONE, leads us? (i wish i knew the original Hebrew so i could verify.) It seems that HE is speaking, “Come along with me on this holy journey, and I will lead you, teach you, coach you, demonstrate to you, disciple you, and you WILL have ‘transformed minds.'”