Tuesday, March 21

Perfecting Holiness

". . . perfecting holiness in the fear of" God —2 Corinthians 7:1

Therefore, having these promises. . . ." I claim God’s promises for my life and look to their fulfillment, and rightly so, but that shows only the human perspective on them. God’s perspective is that through His promises I will come to recognize His claim of ownership on me. For example, do I realize that my "body is the temple of the Holy Spirit," or am I condoning some habit in my body which clearly could not withstand the light of God on it? ( 1 Corinthians 6:19 ). God formed His Son in me through sanctification, setting me apart from sin and making me holy in His sight (see Galatians 4:19 ). But I must begin to transform my natural life into spiritual life by obedience to Him. God instructs us even in the smallest details of life. And when He brings you conviction of sin, do not "confer with flesh and blood," but cleanse yourself from it at once ( Galatians 1:16 ). Keep yourself cleansed in your daily walk.
I must cleanse myself from all filthiness in my flesh and my spirit until both are in harmony with the nature of God. Is the mind of my spirit in perfect agreement with the life of the Son of God in me, or am I mentally rebellious and defiant? Am I allowing the mind of Christ to be formed in me? (see Philippians 2:5 ). Christ never spoke of His right to Himself, but always maintained an inner vigilance to submit His spirit continually to His Father. I also have the responsibility to keep my spirit in agreement with His Spirit. And when I do, Jesus gradually lifts me up to the level where He lived-a level of perfect submission to His Father’s will— where I pay no attention to anything else. Am I perfecting this kind of holiness in the fear of God? Is God having His way with me, and are people beginning to see God in my life more and more?
Be serious in your commitment to God and gladly leave everything else alone. Literally put God first in your life.

4 comments:

no_average_girl said...

hey...i've learned that life is too short to not put Him first, to let others know i love them, and to follow the desires He placed in me. thanks for the reminder!

Radical One said...

hey luke! thanks so much for the prayers on behalf of our family. and sorry i've taken such a long time to respond. the last week has definitely been a journey. and it was wonderful having brothers and sisters lifting us up in prayer to our Father.

may you be richly blessed!
lisa

Luke said...

Maegan & Lisa: Thanks for dropping by again. I hope you become regulars! I love input.

I'm glad I could help lift you up in your valley through prayer. It truly is an amazing supernatural gift we've been given. Praise God who knew that we'd need all the support we could get as we walk this pilgrims journey. May you continue to strongly feel the presence of the Lord in the coming weeks as the loss of your loved one becomes real and the monotony of life sets in.

Sarah Fortney said...

hey Luke, thanks for the welcome. great post by the way, as always very thought provoking and a great reminder.