September 1, 2009 DESTINY OF HOLINESS

1 Peter 1:13-16 13Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

When we consider the work of our lifetime, what does it look like? When our lives draw to a close and we stand before God, what will he say to us? How will He feel about the way I’ve spent my time here on earth? It isn’t a matter only of not doing the wrong things, but about doing the right things. Were the energies of my existence frittered away in search of comfort and earthly luxury or did I seek first and foremost to be rightly related to God in all that I did? I’ve come to what some might consider a pretty extreme realization: If I am not spending my life living for the moment I will stand before God, I AM WASTING IT!! God created me for a purpose! He created me to be Holy! Am I seeking after that above all else?

Chambers says:
The destined end of man is not happiness, nor health, but holiness. Nowadays we have far too many affinities, we are dissipated with them; right, good, noble affinities which will yet have their fulfillment, but in the meantime God has to atrophy them. The one thing that matters is whether a man will accept the God who will make him holy. At all costs a man must be rightly related to God.
There are so many things which can derail us – certainly far more than when Chambers spoke these words almost 100 years ago. And many of these distractions and detractions which pull at us aren’t bad things in and of themselves. We must simply be careful not to let anything eclipse our relationship with God.

Today’s devotional made me really think about all of the time I waste doing things that are of absolutely no value. How much TV do I watch when I could be doing something useful? How often do I find myself playing some mindless computer game while Carson naps when I should be using that time more wisely? How much different would my days look if I knew that at any second Jesus could knock at my door and call me on my activity at that moment. It isn’t that I’m doing anything wrong or immoral – It’s just that it is useless.

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the talents. A master is about to take a long journey and before he leaves he entrusts each of his three servants money according to his ability: The first receives 5 talents, the second, 2 talents and the third servant, one talent. When the master returns, he finds that the first and second servants have doubled their money, but the third servant had buried his money in the ground and returns to the master with only what he was given. The master is pleased with the first and second servants for their efforts, but he rebukes the third servant for his laziness and he is cast out.

Our lives are an investment by God and our literal "talents" and abilities are given to us by the Lord to use as we will while we are here on earth. It is entirely up to us what we do with them throughout our lifetime, but we will answer for our choices. When my journey ends, will I have used the time I was given wisely and invested my gifts and abilities for the Lord? When I stand before Him on judgment day, will he say “Well done, good and faithful servant?” Or will I have to admit that I buried all that I had and wasted my time on frivolous pursuits? If so, on that day he will say “You wicked and slothful servant – you did NOTHING with all that you were given!” What could be worse than knowing God entrusted us with a purpose and having to stand before Him and admit that we never bothered to pursue it?

All that I am and all that I have should be focused on God and pursuing His Holiness. This is a pretty high expectation, and yet God expects that very thing of us. Chambers calls us to live “every detail of the life under the scrutiny of God.” Every detail – living every moment as if God were there watching it, because, of course, He is. This isn’t a call to outwardly holy living achieved through some adherence to legalism. When our lives are defined simply by self-imposed rules and regulations, we miss the true call of the believer. Lives of holiness are developed from the inside out – we aren’t holy because of what we do. Rather, we do what we do because we are holy. As believers, the love and grace of the Savior should manifest itself in all we do and say.