It’s only for you.

It’s a calling for every Christian and yet- it’s only what God calls you to. Lots of people would like to lump their spouses, sons and daughters, clans, and congregations to what God has only called an individual to. And that is wrong. Some things might be great to give up; however, God’s word and the Holy Spirit speaking into your life isn’t a cookie cutter for us to all be molded into the same shape and sanctity. A Christian in the US has TV in their living room and rarely, if ever, drinks beer. Go 6,000 miles across the Atlantic and a German Christian has beer with lunch and dinner and keeps their TV in a cupboard in a kitchen. It’s not about being wrong or counting who gets what, it’s about what is God calling to, or away from.

Holiness comes from the fear of God, and while you hear the word “fear” as being afraid, the “fear of God” isn’t that.

Fear [feer]

noun

4. reverential awe, especially toward God: “the fear of God.”

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

This reverential awe, then, is built from an understanding of who God is, in relation to who you are. When you see space in it’s vastness, and how we are a tiny speck in it, we can understand that God is bigger than us, and thus has more power than us. Holiness, then, is an intentional response to the confluence: of God’s power and ability, Jesus powerful work in his life and on the cross, and the Holy Spirit, working God’s will through us. We make choices in response to revelation, reading God’s word, praying, and listening to God speak to us in the myriad of ways that he does.

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So then, Good Holiness:

Good Holiness responds, “wow God, this world you made is incredibly beautiful.”

Good Holiness hurts, “God, I know this injustice grieves you.”

Good Holiness responds, “I know I want to go there, but I’m going to drive home.”

Good Holiness asks, “God I want your wisdom in this situation.”

Good Holiness teaches you to proactively wait on God, not just sit around like He’s your waiter in a restaurant.

Good Holiness can sometimes lead to God being silent. Because you’re doing the right thing and He’s proud of you.

Good Holiness keeps your perspective of God changing- He just keeps getting bigger.

Good Holiness notices that God loves doing little things for you, like making traffic a little better so you arrive early for a conversation you’ve needed to get refreshed by, or friends that tell you just what you need to hear.

Good holiness does one thing REALLY well: It grows you. Toward God, Toward your friends, your family and others.

It just takes dying to yourself. Which is both easy to say and hard to do.

Holiness is simple, but isn’t at all easy. So don’t beat your head against a wall when you think you’ve messed up- Grace and Mercy are there to say that you have space to fail.

And fail.

And fail.

Because this isn’t a life filled with getting it right every time.

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