It was my childhood faith pulling me into that little Arkansas church. The hand clapping was weird, but a welcome weird to a spiritually starved, mentally battered twenty-six year old.

The people there were comfortable with God and weren’t afraid to talk about him. The Father. The Son. The Holy Spirit. They not only knew him on a first name basis, they aimed to be like Jesus.

That was my first glimpse of down-to-earth holiness. It dawned bright in the light on those sweet southern faces. It grew skin. It was touchable and huggable. And I wanted it. I hungered for peace to get over my past, strength to get through my present, and hope to get moving on a path with purpose. That’s when “Just as I Am” wooed me from the pew and I made the best decision of my life. To ask Jesus to save me and guide my life.

By spending time with other seekers, the Sunday messages, and my own Bible reading, holiness—a weird-yet-wonderful concept—became more real to me. It floated down to earth, desirable and doable. Why wouldn’t it be? God calls us to it.

“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.” Peter, a once reckless and fearful disciple, found confidence in his Christ identity. He challenges us to strip ourselves of sin, our moral impurity. He quotes Moses who quotes God, “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Whoa. Wait a minute. So, I have to be perfect? No and yes. Not perfect in the sense we never make a mistake. It’s a heart perfection. God sees a heart that is set, devoted to knowing better and being better.

As a brand new believer, I soaked in God’s Word. In Galatians 5, I read that the Holy Spirit produces fruit in our lives: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

There were options ~ Holy options ~ to living a defeated life. I decided to go after each one and become a lifelong learner.

Ephesians 4:21-24 challenges us, “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

Our call is clear. Do you want to live out this calling and become a lifelong student, a disciple of Jesus? Hebrews 1:3 tells us he is the “exact representation of [God’s] being.” To know Jesus is to know the Father. To know Jesus is to know the Holy Spirit.

We don’t have to let sin and shame and unhealthy self-talk dictate our thoughts and attitudes. Our new nature defines us. The more we seek right living, the more peace, joy, and freedom we find in our true selves.

Holiness, once a mystery to me, is the gift that grows us into our God-given identity.

Are you ready to join me and wholly surrender to a holy pursuit? It’s a daily, conscious commitment. We  die to truly live. Die? That sounds a tad dramatic. Perhaps, we’ll dig into that next time.

Grace and courage for your  journey, my friend.

 

Photo from www.Pixabay.com

 

 

As a child, holiness was inconceivable to me. Hovering somewhere beyond the clouds, it was reserved for God, priests, and popes ~ not mere peasants like me. Webster defines it as “a title of address used for high ecclesiastical dignitaries and especially for the pope.” So, I sang to a distant being. An obscure word sung to an obscure god. “Holy, Holy, Holy … only Thou art holy…”

Outside church, the word was misused and mumbled. “Well isn’t she holier-than-thou.” I heard other good words—even Jesus’ name—twisted ugly, muttered, or yelled. My sister cautioned me about that. I believed her because she seemed somehow connected to him.

I attended classes, performed sacraments, checked the boxes, and recited a prayer every night before bed just in case a sin snuck in that I didn’t know about. I wasn’t taking any chances. I believed a higher being existed, but feared it was watching and waiting to zap me with a lightning bolt. Mine was a faraway faith for sure, but it was all I knew. And I’m thankful for it.

But, holiness remained a superior secret—zipped up tight in an other-world feel, remote and unattainable. So, I figured if God was holy, he was distant and unreachable too. Now, I know that’s not true.

In Ezekial, we read  “… I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” Jesus’ Spirit replaces our spirit. Our heart is now God-centered, not self-centered.

We still struggle. We still have limitations. We’re not perfect ~ whatever that is.

But, we have a perfect heart. A heart that’s teachable and committed to new life in Christ. It will lead us to a full, satisfying life. Not one without pain but one that reflects love and peace and joy in spite of it.

For this inside-out cleansing, “The Holy Spirit cannot be accepted as a guest in merely one room of the house—He invades all of it. And once I decide … my heredity of sin should [die], the Holy Spirit invades me. He takes charge of everything. My part is to walk in the light and to obey all that He reveals to me.”*

I’m in year twenty-seven of this lifelong journey. It’s been a bumpy-but-beautiful-to-God process. Yes, in this messy world ~ with our messy lives ~ a holy pursuit is possible.  

Next time, we’ll go back to that little Arkansas church where I saw my first glimpse of down-to-earth holiness. It took me many years and countless tears to get there. But, God’s not distant. And he’s totally reachable.

May you find peace on your pursuit, my friends.

 

*Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Photo found at Pixabay.com

 

Hello, my friends. It seems like forever since we met here. My book’s deadline and family obligations kept me away for a bit. Such is the ebb and flow of life. I pray all is well with you.

Right after Easter, I told you about the day I met God in that little Arkansas church and made my best decision ever. I was tired of letting hurts and bad choices control me and chose new life in Christ. I hope you’ve experienced it too. The surrender and the peace. Maybe you weren’t in a church when you  made the decision.  It can happen anywhere, anytime, with others or alone. I pray, like me, you’re seeking your Divine Design.

Although we are unique and our stories are different, we’re on the same journey. We were born to imperfect people in an imperfect world where stuff happens. That stuff molds our thinking and we lose our God-given identity. We find it when we decide to follow our Creator.

In surrendering our lives to Jesus, we identify with his death and our old self dies. In identifying with his resurrection, we find our true self. In Waking the Dead, John Eldredge says it like this, “We are in the process of being unveiled. We are created to reflect God’s glory, born to bear his image, and he ransomed us to reflect that glory again.”

Wow. How the heck do we that? Early in my spiritual walk, I learned the importance of sanctification, of being purified from sin and set apart for sacred use. I was determined to change my habits and thinking. To use my life for good.

Sanctification is not imitating Christ like an actor, it’s letting his qualities live in us and shine through us. Oswald Chambers defines it as “nothing less than the holiness of Jesus becoming mine and being exhibited in my life.” Sound like a tall order?

Since we are “created to reflect God’s glory,” holiness is a part of our original design. It’s also our redeemed identity. Holiness is passed on to us from the cross. It’s a grace gift. When we accept Jesus’ death to forgive us and his resurrection to give us new life, our spirits are renewed by his Holy Spirit. It’s Christ in us. All of Jesus. Available to us. All the time.

As his Spirit connects us with God and helps us understand Scripture, we’re transformed on the inside. Then those outward symptoms of sin and wrong mindsets peel off like old sunburned skin. Sorta like a soul exfoliation. Cleaning up the mind, will, and emotions prompts the shedding of unhealthy behavior. It’s an inside-out process.

In Ephesians, Paul reminds us that we are adopted “to be holy and without fault—blameless—in God’s eyes.” God sees us as if we never sinned. He really does forgive and forget. In that, we see holiness is a result of God loving us. To honor God and this gift of abundant life in Christ, the next step is to surrender to it.

Perhaps you’re thinking, “Is that even possible?” Yes. It’s a decision of the will. Next time, we’ll dig up some mixed-up ideas about holiness. Join me to see what holy living has to do with wholly living.

One day, one step at a time, my friend. Peace for your journey.

 

 

Photo from Pixabay.com

 

Hello my friends, spring is blooming and it’s time to soak up some Vitamin D. Sunshine heals and strengthens body, mind, and spirit. I believe God speaks to us in the breezes and birdsong. Take time out to be still, be quiet, and be loved by your Heavenly Father.

A couple weeks ago, I shared my experience with what Oswald Chambers calls, “co-crucifixion.” Then, last week, a piece of my heart was exposed with the birth and death of my Ashley Nicole. God has pursued me my whole life. I see Him in my earliest memories and especially my teen years as I tried to find myself and Him. Because of His patient pursuit in my hardest days of doubt and angst and grief, I now experience what Chamber calls, “co-resurrection,” new life in Christ.

After we make the decision to be done with what holds us down and hides our divine design, His resurrection life penetrates our human nature. We are rescued from sin’s control and raised to new life with Him. What a deal. We give God what’s broken and He gives us the ability ~ the power ~ to have new life.

Galatians 2:20 reminds us, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

And, in Ezekial, we read  “… I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” Jesus’ Spirit replaces our spirit. Our heart is now God-centered, not self-centered. 

Oswald Chambers explains, “The Holy Spirit cannot be accepted as a guest in merely one room of the house—He invades all of it. And once I decide … my heredity of sin should be identified with the death of Jesus, the Holy Spirit invades me. He takes charge of everything. My part is to walk in the light and to obey all that He reveals to me.”

When we become aware of wrong mindsets and behavior, we’re responsible to nail them to the cross where they belong. Sin has no power over us anymore ~ unless we let it. We choose to do die daily to anything keeping us from fully knowing our God-given design. In so doing, we not only live a full life, we also pass it to others.

God doesn’t dump all our stuff in a heap and leave us to sort it out. He continues to reveal it until we’re ready to deal with it. Not to condemn us. The enemy of our soul does that. The guilt we feel—sometimes a gentle nudge, sometimes a swift kick—is information to steer us. It’s our road map to freedom and Jesus walks the whole journey with us.

Our Heavenly Father is not only patient in our process of becoming, He delights in watching us grow out of ourselves and into the person He created.

So, we ask: What’s still hides my God-given identity? Some mindsets and actions that belong to our old nature are sneaky. They’re so comfy, we wear them like smooth skin under silk sheets. In reality, they are itchy, wool blankets waiting to be dug up from a moldy basement.

Yes, my friend, we don’t always feel so new, brave, or empowered. But we are. We don’t live by feelings, we live by faith. It’s not always easy, but we pray, we read Scripture and trust our new, resurrected life to lead us on a path to holiness. Holiness? Now there’s a churchy word. Join me next time as we bring a lofty word down to earth.

Courage and joy for your journey, my friend. 

 

 

 

Photo from Pixabay.com