PURSUING HOLINESS

Hebrews 12:14  "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."

I have just finished studing in the book of Joel.  Locusts invading everywhere, destroying everything in its paths.  I remember when we lived in South Dakota, there were seasons when grasshoppers were so thick they looked like one solid block of black, only it moved.  They literally destroyed crops.  I was amazed at this.  When we moved home and years later I went to work, I was astonished at the number of grasshoppers during certain times.  You almost could not open your office door without so many of them coming inside.  We just finished a time like this recently.  So many at one time, it really gives you pause when you think of these as being a plague.  Is it just me, or do others notice it like this also.  It just doesn't seem natural for this to be, without it being some kind of judgment. 

Judgment is not a surprise, not to me.  When I think of the depravity in this world.  I was across Dallas the other day and was literally shocked at the words I saw on the front of a store.  Huge, this was actually the name of the store. And it was a chain.  I remarked to my friend how this truly must grieve the Lord.  It grieved me.  How much more will the Lord stand for before true judgment comes to the face of the earth.  It has begun I believe, with earthquakes, storms, devastating storms.  The surprise to me, however, really lies in the fact that except for the people that fall under these storms, these events, nothing changes on earth.  The wickedness, the lust, the sin continues without a misstep.  Where the children of God in Israel had their golden calves, their idols, their little gods; here on earth, it is greed, money, power, control.  They are all gods of a nature.  When Wall Street stocks drop, people cry out to their gods, their money, their power sources for help.....temporary fixes.  One day there will be no help except for the children of God that have surrendered their lives to Him, to only Him.

Holiness.  The true repentance of sin.  The casting off of the old man to receive the new creation of the Lord.  Giving of one's will to the Father, receiving His Holy Spirit.  Letting the Holy Spirit lead and guide, teach and convict, drawing us to the Lord, showing us the way to please the only true God, the Father.  Leading us into His Presence.  Holiness is not obtainable without true repentance; without becoming a new creation, being born again into His Spirit, into His Likeness.  From this moment on, we are recipients of the most wonderful life imaginable.  A life with our Lord God, a life filled with the very Presence of God, and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit.  Our lives become lives that have a peace that is only attainable through Jesus Christ.  His peace, a gift that comes with total surrender to Him, freely giving Him access to our hearts, our souls, our minds.  The joy of the Lord comes to us as we begin to trust Him more and more, as our faith grows in Him and fear becomes no longer a part of who we are.  All fear is gone when we have complete trust in Jesus, our Lord.  Fear leaves, peace descends and joy resounds throughout our spirits, songs of rejoicing and gladness filling our mouths and bringing forth praise to our King.  An unconditional love, the kind of love that fills you from the inside out.  A love that flows so fluidly through us that it falls onto all those around us.  You cannot be truly filled with the love of the Lord and not love others around you.  When you have this love, this sweet love of Jesus in you, this love returns back to Him from your heart.  You begin to love the Lord so deeply, so passionately.  With this true love for the Savior, you cannot help but love all those around you.  It just will be.  If you do not love others, then you must question your love for the Lord.  Is it true love; or word service.  The Lord will not honor word service, He sees your heart.

Seeking the Lord, honoring Him with your life, loving Him above all else, trusting Him alone to make decisions for your life.....sincere steps in pursuing Holiness.  True steps in the very intimate relationship that the Father wants with each of us.  My Lord God, I trust You with everything that concerns me.  I honor You above all, I seek to please You alone.  I love You with my whole heart, with every part of my being I love You.  And my Lord, I worship You, I worship You.  You are my King, You are everything to me.  This 22nd day of October, 2011; my God, my Lord and King, I am pursuing You, to spend every moment with You; I am pursuing Holiness that I can only find in loving and worshiping You.  I want to see You, my Lord; I want to be with You.