" There is no key to happiness; the door is always open.”— Mother Teresa of Calcutta
It’s a fact, we learn more through pain than we do pleasure. “God,” said C. S. Lewis, “whispers to us in our pleasure, and shouts at us in our pain.” This I have found to be true, I would say, without exception. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a spiritual masochist. I certainly don’t get pleasure out of pain, but when it inevitably comes I have found it is best to embrace it until I find a remedy. Sometimes there is none, but as with Paul, I find that God’s grace is really all that I need to get through the tough times (2 Cor. 12:9).
You see, God is more interested in our character than our comfort. Or to put it another way, God is more interested in our holiness than our happiness (James 1:4) “for without holiness no man shall see the Lord (Heb. 12:14).”
This brings us to the vital question: “What is holiness?”
Well, back in the day, as they say, holiness was “I don’t drink, I don’t cuss, I don’t chew, and I don’t run around with them that do.” Of course, right alongside that, if you were raised in old-timey Pentecostal circles, were prohibitions against movies, television, make-up, and short hair for the women, plus a whole host of “worldly” recreational activities. Made it a pretty sterile life for a young fellow like me in those days who could not throw a ball or read the comics on Sunday, either.
However, as I grew older, I found out that God is generally more interested in what we do than what we don’t do. Love at all times, though, must permeate any and all attempts at holiness. Motivation is key. Love should motivate all. Godly love, however, not a misguided love to be perceived as holy or saintly, but rather for God to judge us as loving people. “By this shall all know that you are my disciples, said Christ, in that you love one another (John 13:35).”
There is, however, a kernel of righteousness in our feeble attempts for holiness by abstaining from all appearances of evil (1 Thess. 5:22). So, we mustn’t just throw caution to the wind. We must avoid evil and that goes for evil as a form of dramatic pleasure. A filthy book produces a filthy mind, and the same goes for television and movies as well. Nor would I suggest that we start a Bible study at some strip joint. We are to be faithful with all godly propriety. The gateway to the soul is through the conscience; and an ill-informed conscience is certainly no pathway for holiness. By all means, we must not grow weary in well-doing, for at the proper time we will reap a plentiful spiritual harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 5:16-26; Galatians 6:9).
This brings us to the vital question: “What is holiness?”
Well, back in the day, as they say, holiness was “I don’t drink, I don’t cuss, I don’t chew, and I don’t run around with them that do.” Of course, right alongside that, if you were raised in old-timey Pentecostal circles, were prohibitions against movies, television, make-up, and short hair for the women, plus a whole host of “worldly” recreational activities. Made it a pretty sterile life for a young fellow like me in those days who could not throw a ball or read the comics on Sunday, either.
However, as I grew older, I found out that God is generally more interested in what we do than what we don’t do. Love at all times, though, must permeate any and all attempts at holiness. Motivation is key. Love should motivate all. Godly love, however, not a misguided love to be perceived as holy or saintly, but rather for God to judge us as loving people. “By this shall all know that you are my disciples, said Christ, in that you love one another (John 13:35).”
There is, however, a kernel of righteousness in our feeble attempts for holiness by abstaining from all appearances of evil (1 Thess. 5:22). So, we mustn’t just throw caution to the wind. We must avoid evil and that goes for evil as a form of dramatic pleasure. A filthy book produces a filthy mind, and the same goes for television and movies as well. Nor would I suggest that we start a Bible study at some strip joint. We are to be faithful with all godly propriety. The gateway to the soul is through the conscience; and an ill-informed conscience is certainly no pathway for holiness. By all means, we must not grow weary in well-doing, for at the proper time we will reap a plentiful spiritual harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 5:16-26; Galatians 6:9).
May God give us all the strength to persevere,
JimR_/
No comments:
Post a Comment