CONNECTING THE DOTS OF HOLINESS

The more we immerse ourselves in the Word, the more we connect the dots and make remarkable discoveries.  The big picture comes into view. A passage here informs and clarifies another there.  Light from this passage sheds light on another.  Jesus said the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth (John 16:13). Immersion is not merely reading a few verses and dashing out the door.  It includes pondering, memorizing, sharing scripture with others as it becomes part of us.  As a result, the Holy Spirit shines light on the nature of God, God’s nature in us, and the dynamic, synergistic relationship we have in him.  Here’s an example of how passages of the word connect and reveal otherwise fragmented and hidden truths:

The Apostle Paul writes – “Work out your own salvation (Philippians 2:12)” by the means of which God makes available (Acts 2:42), what John Wesley calls the means of grace (scripture, prayer, Biblical teaching, fellowship of other Christ followers).

OK!  I can work it out, because “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).  And how does that happen?  Paul goes on to say, “for it is God who works in you to will and to do according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). 

There it is:  our will aligned with God’s will and his desire becomes our desire to “will and to do according to his good purpose (desire) for us.  And what is that?   We read in Ephesians 3:19, “. . . that we be filled with the measure of the fullness of God (holiness, likeness, purity of heart) so that we continue to will and to do things which are unimaginable (Ephesians 3:20) as acts of piety and mercy (service) to God’s glory (Ephesians 3:21).  In this intimate synergism with God we come to grasp the magnitude of God’s love for us and for the world (Ephesians 3:18) such that  “The love of Christ compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14) in all we do in response to God’s grace.

The deeper we get into the Word, the more the big picture comes into focus, the deeper our understanding, the more God transforms us into his likeness, the more we participate in his nature (2 Peter 1:4), the more we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the more we give glory to him both now and forever (2 Peter 3:18).  Amen!  In the words of Salvation Army commissioner James Knaggs, then, “Be holy and get to work!” . . . working out our own salvation by devoting more time in the Word and letting God do a remarkable work in and through us.  Glory to God!

SAYING "SORRY" IS NOT ENOUGH

There was a time in childhood when one of the hardest things in life was to say “sorry” to someone I offended or harmed, usually one of my brothers.  My parents would order me to say the word that seemed stuck in my throat.  Then as children as now with adults, “Sorry” was often mistaken at that moment as an  apology.  It’s not an apology.  It’s an expression of regret for a long list of reasons:  I’m sorry I got caught; I’m sorry I’m to blame; I’m sorry you’re angry at me; I’m sorry I got myself into this situation; and I’m sorry I hurt you.  It’s hard saying it because of pride.  Even when we finally say it, it’s not enough.  It doesn’t guarantee that it won’t happen again.  In “sorry” there is no check against future misbehavior or harm.  What’s needed is not regret, but repentance.

Repentance is a good thing.  It's a new beginning.  It is making a complete change; it’s a 180-degree turn going in the opposite direction and not looking or going back.  It’s going in the direction that Christ is going. It is a matter of the will. It is moving away from the self-will that runs contrary to the love of God. It is aligning self-will to Christ’s will which is always loving and kind.  John Wesley puts it like this:

Sooner or later after he is justified, the believer feels self-will, a will contrary to the will of God.  Now a will is an essential part of the nature of every intelligent being, even our blessed Lord Himself.  But His human will was always subject to the will of His Father.  The case with even true believers in Christ is that they frequently find their will more or less exalting their self-will with all their might, and thus they continue in the faith.

But self-will, as well as pride, is a species of idolatry.  Both are directly contrary to the love of God, as is the love of the world. . . If one does not continually watch and pray, he feels the strongest urges toward loving the creature (self) more than the Creator . . .  (In the pursuit of one’s self will) he is prone to forget God.  And for this, even the true believer needs to repent.[1]

“Sorry” is not enough. When it’s only “sorry,” it’s a good sign that the self-will is out of alignment with the God’s will.  It's time to change and to walk with him in loving-kindness and in the strength He provides to confess, repent, follow Christ in the direction of loving kindness, and forgive.

[1] Renew My Heart: John Wesley, (Barbour Publishing: Uhrichsville, Ohio), 2011, pp.214&215.

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