God Is Holy

As I begin my journey with My One Word in 2014, I wonder how the word “holy” will unwrap and reveal itself in my life.  My first impression as outlined in my article, “My One Word”  has a focus on the manner in which I am to live my life.  At all moments in life, we have choices to make and, for me, I believe I am to live 2014 being conscience of each choice I make and striving to choose the holier path, whenever possible.

I have been struggling, as you might imagine, at the concept that God is calling me to be holy.    Several verses I have noted in recent writings reveal that God is calling us all to “be holy because I am Holy.”   (please see:  1 Peter 1:14-16 - NCV and Leviticus 19:2 - NCV ) To be honest, I frankly do not understand what holiness is and what, specifically, God calling me to do.  “Be Holy.”  He might as well say “Be Green.”  At least I could perhaps look past the calling for a color change (which I doubt I could pull off) and focus on my environmental consciousness.  There are some specific steps one must take to “Be Green” but what does it mean to “Be Holy?”

In my article, “Living the Holy Life God Calls Us to Live,” I wrote how Jesus viewed a blessed life and how the world, the Kingdom, would be a better place by it.  Through this recipe, I have an understanding that if I’m to “Be Holy”, I need to be a peacemaker, have mercy, be pure of thought, and so forth.  However, those attributes and characteristics are the outcome of being holy, not a pathway to holiness.  I remain confused as what I am to do to become “Holy.”

In my search to understand holiness more fully, I purchased a copy of RC Sproul’s book, “The Holiness of God.” (I think it was a fairly wise decision to purchase this book and must indicate I’m on the right path.) It really did not take me very long reading Sproul’s book before I realized that this call to be Holy is more about God than it is about me.  At the closing of Sproul’s first chapter he asked the following question: 

“When you think of God as Holy, what comes to your mind?”

(Dear Reader: Before you continue farther into my ramblings on this question, please take some time to think this question through yourself.  You may need to walk away from your computer and find a quiet place to pray and meditate. You may need to read the Bible, write in a journal, or stare into a star-filled sky.  As you can imagine, the question is far deeper than we normally like to go in our thoughts and prayers but I believe it is truly a question that each of us needs to answer for ourselves.  This is not a test – it is an evaluation of your relationship with God and where he stands in your life, today.)

So where to begin?  No matter how I tackle this question I know that in the end, my word-smithing skills will fall short and the richness of my answers, incomplete.  It is a question where there is no wrong answer, just a sense of more… there is more to the holiness of God than we will ever fathom.  As I read the Psalms of David, I believe we see the effort of one man attempting to describe God’s Holiness.  David had perspective, talent, and opportunity. He had love, passion, and the heart of God beating in his chest.  No matter how amazing and far-reaching the Psalms may be, they still fall short.  There must be more….

It was during this thought pattern that I came to the conclusion that God’s holiness is unlimited in every perspective.  (Does this thought surprise anyone?)  What we attempt to do in our lives is to comprehend holiness from the perspective on one… one person, one moment, one glimpse. 

I learned yesterday that a star within the Ursa Major constellation has gone “supernova.”  Scientists are very excited by the opportunity to study this event.  They will have every imaginable scientific tool pointed towards the Big Dipper making measurements and readings of this pinpoint of light in the northern sky.  Pinpoint is the operable word.  A star, so far in the distance that it was only visible through high-powered telescopes, has exploded.  The amount of light generated by the explosion is unfathomable.  Think about a star exploding.  Light coursing out from the explosion in every direction and yet, we will benefit from only one pinpoint. Like a flashlight beaming from the heavens, we will see one beam, one view, one perspective.

This is how it is with God, we each have one perspective and that perspective is filtered by what is happening in our life at that moment.  Your answer regarding God’s holiness will be one thing when you are standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon or looking into the Milky Way on a star-filled night than it will be walking the back streets of an American inner-city or in the slums neighborhoods of a third world country.  Your perspective will change from what it might be while attending your daughter’s wedding to something quite different when you are in the hospital at her birth, or her death. If you are sick, depressed, or feeling hopeless, the holiness of God becomes one thing and if you are on top of the world, rolling in success, it is another.  (As you read David’s Psalms you see many of these different perspectives at work.)

God is Holy!  It is an easy phrase to say and there is little argument of its validity or truth, but what it means is entirely a different story.  In fact, it is the story of our lives.  If we were to take a pulse reading on our view of God’s holiness every so often and document it, we would start to see more of God and understand more fully what Holiness truly means.  God never changes and the phrase God is Holy is a foundational truth and yet, our view and our perspective changes with each breath we take.

As I pondered the question this morning on my drive to work four distinct answers came to mind along with thoughts as to how these answers were to be played out in my life in pursuit of my holiness:

1.       “God is completely Pure in all things.”  Holiness means purity of thought and deed.  As God calls me to Be Holy in 2014, he wants me to keep my mind out of the gutters of lust, greed, and selfishness and focused more on how to be ready to serve others.  The “all things” aspect is seemingly beyond reach, but I do not think God would say “Be Holy” and not mean it.  He did not say, 'be holy when you can or if you have time.'  He said “Be Holy because I am Holy.”

2.       “God is immeasurable Love.”  God is Love and God is Holy so it follows that Love is Holy.  The Godly part of love is the unfathomable depth of his love.  “He loved us so much that he gave us his only son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but shall have eternal life.” (John 3:16 paraphrased)  And this is only the beginning of his love.  There is no end to God’s love and no one is outside its reach.  To Be Holy then, means to Love.  Love everyone.  Love in spite of harm, or differences, or hurt, or injustice or wrong.  Reach beyond these earthly things to forgive and love.  This is the Holy way.

3.       “God is unshakably Reliable.” I needed to turn to my Webster dictionary on this.  (perhaps proof that the word Reliable came from God instead of from my mind since I needed help defining it.) Webster defines Reliable as: “able to be trusted to do or provide what is needed: able to be relied on: able to be believed: likely to be true or correct.” Reliability then speaks to the Truth that God represents. In all things Godly, Truth resonates throughout.  He is unwavering, never changing, and consistent.  For me to Be Holy I will need to rely heavily on God’s Truth to guide me.

4.       “God is consistently Available.” God is always available when we need him. We may go days, weeks, months, and even years without a thought towards God but the minute we turn to find him, he is present, ready and available. “If you seek you shall find.” (Mathew 7:7 - KJV) He never lets us down, or turns the other way, or is busy with something else.  To Be Holy means to be reliably available to all those God sends our way who are seeking to find the Truth, the Light and the Spirit of God in their lives.

I can only pray that, as you dig into what God’s Holiness means in your life, you will discover a wealth of meaning and inspiration that takes you from where you stand today to where God is leading tomorrow.  May His Holiness always be a part of who you are and who He wants you to become.