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What might be classified as “good news” to you? Could it be a very large unexpected financial gift or a clean bill of health after struggling for years with some form of cancer?

The only thing Jesus called “good news” was the various aspects of the kingdom of God. Get this! He even left behind a crowd eager to see Him perform more miracles to go preach the good news of the kingdom of God in other cities. And, when he sent out his disciples to preach, he commanded them to preach the kingdom of God—not Jesus saves! (Luke 9:2) What is it about the kingdom of God that could be classified as “good news” compared to salvations, healings, or delivering the demoniac?

What is this kingdom of God? It is not heaven, Jesus, nor the Church, although it includes each. The kingdom is a condition where God’s will is being done.

Before Adam and Eve disobeyed in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve lived in God’s kingdom. But when they doubted God, the King, refusing to submit to His authority, He expelled them from His kingdom. This shows us a person may know about the King, quote Bible verses, or do very good deeds, yet still be outside His kingdom if they live by their own rules and preferences. Remember, the Pharisees did all the right things, but did so out of misguided motives. God is far more interested in why we live right than our living in what appears to be a right way.

Ancient Near East empires shifted from one area to another, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, and Rome. In those days, the dominant king (suzerain) would negotiate a treaty/covenant with the king of a smaller nation (vassal), perhaps one they had conquered. The suzerain/vassal covenant consisted of blessings the suzerain would give and curses if the vassal was disloyal. God used this same treaty structure when making a covenant with the Hebrews.

The books of Genesis and Exodus define such covenants the Almighty God made with the early Hebrews (Jews). In this case, God offered to provide for and protect the Jews if they would love and serve Him alone. He warned that if they failed in fulfilling their part of the covenant, curses would come upon them. Over time, after repeatedly ignoring God’s warning, His curse consisted of allowing another nation to conquer them and march the most promising of their population off to the conquering country.

The Jews were under the kingdom rule of the Romans when Jesus lived on the earth. Jesus’ primary message was about the “good news” of God’s kingdom, which offered a new chance to live an abundant life for everyone who gave up control of their inner kingdom to experience the best life in His kingdom. (John 10:10) But again, God insisted each person love the LORD [their] God with all [their] heart, all [their] soul, all [their] mind, and all [their] strength (Mark 12:30, NLT2). (Cp. Deut. 6:5)

When a person’s love for God motivates them to surrender the control of their daily life to God Almighty, He then progressively reshapes their inner desires and values to look like Jesus’ desires and values. Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think (Eph. 3:20, NLT2). It is not a matter of doing good deeds. It is all about the condition of the heart, which gives good deeds their value. The question each person must ask is this: “Is this good enough news to motivate me to surrender my control of my life and be love and loyally obey God, the King?”

The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him (2 Chronicles 16:9a, NLT2). Does your lifestyle reflect independence from or submission to God’s rulebook? The “Good News” is about living the more abundant life. (John 10:10)

When I saw that my wife Connie had entered her blessed reward, Job’s words became very real to me. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD (Job 1:21b, ESV). I have quoted that statement many times before, but this time I could begin to far better connect with what the very God-fearing Job must have felt. His servants, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys and three thousand camels; plus, his seven sons and three daughters were all killed in a single day! Later he lost the support of his wife who told him, Still holding on to your precious [spiritual] integrity, are you? Curse God and be done with it (Job 2:9, MSG). Connie and I have lived tightly interdependent lives, so losing her was like cutting me into two pieces! It makes it hard to function.

A poignant quotation from Paul came to me as well. He stated these words in a passing illustration in a sermon on his first missionary tour. Referring to the Bible character, King David, he said … David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, [died] (Acts 13:36b, ESV). Two thoughts came vividly alive to me. The first was the word after. David wasn’t a perfect man, so he bounced around in his spiritual life. It is important to point out God wasn’t pleased with his blatant sins, yet how David responded after he sinned caught God’s attention—as with each of us. He humbly repented (changed the direction he was heading) and returned to 2) serving the purpose of God in his generation. None of us are perfect, but if we desire to, we too can turn from our sin and serve God’s purpose for us in our generation. I clearly saw Connie in this verse. After she served the purpose of God in [her] generation. It is a poignant quotation because applying it to Connie prompts us to apply it to ourselves. Am I giving all to serve the purpose of God in my generation, or do I allow myself to get distracted and serve my purpose with my life? There are so many distractions that we can rationalize will synchronize with God’s purpose, but when what we do is of our own initiative, it is not necessarily God’s purpose. I know that is true because I have done things I thought were God’s purpose in my generation, but it wasn’t, and I was wasting my energy and time.

Needless to say, Connie’s graduation has really messed with my mind and emotions. But through it all, I am so grateful I never felt a need to ask God why He chose this path for me. In my quiet times with Him, He has repeatedly assured me if I hold tight to His hand, He will guide me, and I will not waste my time and energy doing what I think is God’s purpose for the rest of my life. That comforts me as it would anyone who is seeking hard to be an apprentice of Jesus who did only what He saw or heard His heavenly Father do or say. I feel like a 3-year-old child clinging desperately to his father’s hand. Taking this path leaves me with a deep inner peace and eager anticipation of where He will lead me next. I love Him so much I never want to step out of serving His purpose for my life. How about you?

I’m not sure of the source of some of my ideas, but somewhere along the way, I had adopted them. One of those ideas was that if, after several years, a proclaimed Christian was not progressively becoming less like our culture and more like Jesus, they may have been born again, but they must have been stillborn. Like most incorrect thinking, this notion had a measure of truth and error in it, but the flaw part escaped my awareness.

I recently have been reflectively processing through the book of Isaiah when the Holy Spirit alerted me to my flawed concept. In chapters 41& 42, Isaiah was describing His servant, the Messiah, in contrast to the impotent cultural idols. Amid that, Isaiah quotes God as saying, a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice (Isaiah 42:3, ESV). More simply, He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged (Isaiah 42:3, NLT2). The weakest reed, or a flickering candle, refers to a person whose spiritual life is about to go out. The truth found in these verses is like a double-edged sword. At first glance, that verse seems to have spoken of a very high percent of those who classify themselves as Christians. I say that because these days, far more Christians knowingly embrace more of the cultural value system than sincerely desire to live as Jesus taught. If that is the case, God’s grace would include anyone who even remotely identifies with being a Christian. The opposite edge offers a delightful hope to all who occasionally struggle in their spiritual life yet are persistent enough to repent.

It is absolutely essential that we examine all of scripture before we presumptuously declare doctrinal truth from one verse. A few chapters later, the same person who wrote the above description of the Messiah also wrote a qualifier to the weakest reed or flickering candle. Here, God says I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts (Isaiah 57:15, NLT2). More simply, “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts (Isaiah 57:15, NLT2). This tells us about the decisive factor in the Holy Spirit not crushing a faintly burning wick, is the attitude of their heart. If the heart is driven by a contrite, humble, crushed in spirit, and consequential repentant heart, He will not quench it! The delightful fact is, He will patiently nurture it until it glows brightly again. Seeing the verses together, Isaiah’s words become consistent with the rest of what Old and New Testaments state.

This awakening gave me a fresh perspective. Unintentionally, I have invested support in capable individuals who only want to use my love. Of course, I must be careful to show God’s love and acceptance to everyone. However, prior to suppressing my patience and offering supportive guidance to a struggling believer, I must carefully and prayerfully evaluate the disposition of the heart of the individual. I sensed I have inadvertently skipped that step too many times and misappropriated my time and energy. How about you? Have you missed out on investing in the earnest flickering candles and wasted your time and valuable effort with someone who did not sincerely have a humble and remorseful heart? By God’s grace, I hope to become more efficient by collaborating with the Spirit instead of presumptuously evaluating who to reach out to support and drain away my time and energy. Do you care to join me in this refocus?

Our nation is awash in a debate about justice. According to Trump, he is immune from legal consequences that others face. What sets it apart from the prevailing view on local laws, rules, and regulations? Parents set rules for their children but function as if they are not bound by those rules. Students interpret school or classroom rules in a similar way. Christians are not immune to God’s judgement just because they are on His team.

Jesus told a parable in Matthew 24:14-30 about a businessman with employees. He makes a point to say in the narrative that before the businessman took a long trip; he gave an opportunity to three employees to use their ingenuity to increase his money. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the third. When he returned from his trip, he called his employees in to report on the money He invested in them. We can see Jesus’ punch line in the allegory when He told how the third worker had buried the silver entrusted to him. He told his boss; I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. Instead of obeying his boss’s instruction, he separated himself from the other two and defended his independent attitude. Isn’t that what so many of us do, think we have a better idea, then defend our defiance?

Jesus said, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33 (ESV). Are those the words of “a hard man” or of a loving Master who will not deprive me of anything He has designed for me? Perspective is absolutely crucial to the ideas I have. Everything rises or falls based on my attitude about God. My attitude towards Him decides my love and service for Him.

If I perceive God as hard, deceiving myself will lead to sad consequences. Ultimately, I perceive my service for Him as a thankless task, an unfair bondage, and an uncompensated duty. In this allegory, Jesus commanded his other employees to deal with this disrespectful employee in a far worse manner. He told them, Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will weep and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30, NLT2). This deserves serious thought. The sad outcome was a result of mental lies he held in his mind and heart about God.

Peter was pushing the envelope when he virtually insulted Jesus by saying, we’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get (Matthew 19:27, NLT2)? That exposed a doubt in Peter’s mind and heart as to whether he would be rewarded for his work! That was close to calling Jesus a harsh man. Let’s be real. We say we believe in God’s love and fairness; yet don’t we also treat Him as a harsh man by questioning why He allows bad things to happen to us? Thoughts pop into our heads whether He will really take care of us or intervene in what we see to be a crisis. It is like we are contradictory or double-minded Christians.

Tears do come to my eyes as I contemplate the possibility of my wonderful wife graduating into Heaven. But neither Connie nor I question His love and wisdom. I take solace in verses like this. God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do (Hebrews 6:10, NLT2). He faithfully brought us through very dark times, and He won’t change now. I don’t know what you are facing, but I know He will not forget you giving your all to love Him and His kingdom.

Tattoos represent a variety of meanings. They could signify a spiritual ideal, cultural belonging, or a need for recognition. Whether it’s for art, beauty, memories, or connections, they all blur together a symbols on the body’s surface.

Scars can also be on the body, although they are normally a sign of a painful wound or surgery. My scars from an open-heart surgery were not desired but necessary. There are also scars on a person’s heart or mind resulting from an exceptionally traumatic experience. These scars almost always subconsciously dramatically change how a person responds or the trajectory of one’s life. When this is the case, it grants a new level of respect for that person and what they say.

Despite writing many books in the New Testament and achieving great things, the apostle Paul faced challenges to his authority and authenticity. What means did he use to authenticate his unwavering commitment to Christ? In closing his letter to the Galatians, he wrote, from now on, don’t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus (Galatians 6:17, NLT2). If his sufferings for Christ could not convince them, nothing could. He finished his letter to the believers at Colossae with these words: HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL. Remember my chains (Colossians 4:18, NLT2). His references to his sufferings were not pleas for sympathy; they were his claims to authority, the guarantees of his right to speak and be heard. It is as if he said, “This letter is not from someone who does not know what an apprentice to Christ means. Nor is it from someone who is asking others to do what he is not prepared to do himself. He has left us many memorials of his devotion to Christ—letters, travels, sermons, miracles—but he left nothing greater than his chains, the symbol of his sufferings, for Christ’s sake.

This is the Paul who wrote these profound and telling words. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified (past tense) the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24, ESV). It is true Christ was crucified for each of us, but the cross wasn’t just something Jesus did for us; it’s also something we do with him. Paul also wrote of his personal involvement by writing I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20, ESV). When we humbly surrender our independence and entitlement mentality to follow Christ, God’s Spirit alters our thinking and desires. This alteration is as profound as the effects of a trauma. When prophetically describing salvation, Ezekiel wrote God’s inspired words, I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations (Ezekiel 36:27, NLT2). That change in desires is nothing short of a miracle. Paul wrote it this way. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him (Philippians 2:13, NLT2). That is far more than the effects of glibly saying a prayer! It changes one’s life trajectory when a prayer reflects the conviction of the heart.

This begs the question each of us must ask ourselves. Is my commitment to Christ more like a tattoo or does it actively reflect a scar in my heart? Is there enough evidence of my commitment to Christ that those around me sense some form of a traumatic spiritual experience has changed me? When such evidence reflects a hope to help another person respect or desire a deeper relationship with Christ, the joy and fulfillment are beyond description.

Alone was a TV series that placed 10 individuals in a wilderness miles apart from each other. The one who stayed the longest received $500,000. Each contestant confidently believed they could survive alone with very limited resources. But after 48-72 hours of staring reality in the face, they had to admit their belief about themselves had only been a lie. Reality is what you eventually run into when you are wrong. Truth survives time, proving it alone is dependable.

Reality TV shows are appealing because they give the illusion of what is authentic or real. Can it be authentic when the producer selects episodes and idealistic settings that will appear authentic to draw viewers? Are those real happenings you have or see around you or are they just entertaining shows? It is sobering to consider how much of what we see or hear through the media, business, classroom, church, or friends will withstand the test of time. The widespread social acceptance of an idea or behavior does not make it true or lead to mental, emotional health or strong and honorable moral character. In fact, history has repeatedly shown that the majority opinion is not always right. Crowds are often more foolish than wise.

Testing seasons are a part of every family’s journey. We are in the middle of one now. Some matters are private and managed accordingly, while others have a more public nature. When pastoring, we went through a more public one. I knew leading with personal integrity required me to be transparent with our church members. After sharing our painful situation, as the members were going out the door, a leader said to me, “Now I can relate to you better. Thank you for being transparent.”  Of course, each of us must show great discretion when being transparent, but hiding behind a righteous mask leads other to mock Christianity. This lack of integrity ends up disillusions people when being transparent attracts them. To live like Jesus, we must be transparent so others can see that living a Christ-like life is possible. They need to see how we manage our mistakes with righteous integrity. How? By totally submitting the control of our life to Christ the King, He empowers us with Him love, power and wisdom to live in such a way that allows others to see living a Christian life is doable.

This does not mean living out reality will not include failures. To think it means living a perfect life would be to live out a lie. The Bible is very clear that believers will not always respond in a perfectly Christ-like way. The most important part of living a Christian life is not to be sinless! Rather, it is to be honest and transparent after he or she has made a mistake. The world needs to see and hear genuine humble repentance as much as see our sincere efforts to be set-apart from our culture and to our Lord Jesus Christ. Both are vital parts of reality in contrast to showmanship or entertainment that has brought sad disgrace to true Christianity.

That reality TV attracts so many, it confirms that our culture longs to see transparency, authenticity and reality. Is your faith in Christ transparent to those around you when you go through hardships, failures, as well as victories, and successes? That is the attractive part of the video series The Chosen. It shows the conflicts, the failures, as well as the thrills, excitement—the reality of living a Christian life. Jesus said, If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven (Matthew 5:15-16, MSG)

Was Jesus a persuader? That depends on the definition of a persuader. Salespersons are persuaders, but their techniques can be very different. In one case, the product being sold is the persuader. In another case, the salesperson must use his or her personality or other techniques, even deceit, to manipulate the potential buyer into making the purchase. I find it repulsive when stores advertise an item for a good price but when a person attempts to purchase it; the store has certain strings attached, like making added purchases over a certain price.

When considering Jesus’ preaching and the miracles the Holy Spirit used to attract people to Him, you find that He never used pressure or perverse manipulating techniques to make converts. He called the twelve disciples, not by offering them security, a signing bonus, or a threat of any sort. Rather, He simply did whatever He saw or heard His Father in Heaven do, which may have involved a miracle, then invited them to come and follow Him. Keep in mind, He explained, I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does (John 5:19, NLT2). A real-time street witness of what Jesus said and did chides the religious leaders by saying if this man did not come from God, he would be unable to do anything (John 9:33, BBE). On other occasions when asked a hard, loaded-question, He simply turned tables on them and asked them a question that so exposed their subjective, evil attitude they refused to answer Him. Never did He defend Himself by using emotionally driven, manipulating appeals. Instead, He simply made a truthful and righteous statement and left them to decide.

We often justify our efforts of using persuasive speech by retorting that Jesus was divine and we are human. Indeed, He was divine, but also fully human. Paul wrote that instead of playing His deity card, he gave up (laid aside, refused to use) his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form. Philippians 2:7, NLT2). Without using human persuasive techniques, He left it to the Holy Spirit to bring the person to a decision. He limited Himself to human boundaries and provision by simply presenting the facts. Since His time on earth, the same Holy Spirit who inspired, counseled, guided and worked miracles through Jesus will continue to do His supernatural work.

As apprentices of Jesus, we must also be careful to not usurp the role of the Holy Spirit and substitute Madison Avenues manipulative techniques to persuade people to follow Jesus. We must restrict ourselves to report to others the Good News of Jesus Christ; the rest is up to God. Yes, the Holy Spirit may use us to say or do divine things as Jesus did. However, we must be very careful to do and say only what we see or hear the Spirit is guiding us to do or say—and then give Him praise and glory when people are persuaded to become believers.

In 1968, I still remember trying to use my human efforts to persuade our neighbors to become believers. The immediate, deeply troubling within was chilling. Paul explains, the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death (2 Corinthians 7:10, NLT2). Only the Holy Spirit can be the persuader! Our assignment is to surrender to His guidance in following up on what He has already done. Embracing this truth can minimize the weight we put on ourselves to make disciples. But we MUST take the initiative to do our part.

How do you feel when you sense you’re being manipulated? Connie recently received an email saying someone had hacked her Apple account number and used it to buy a $26 movie on our credit card. Last year, a con artist bilked my sister out of more than $1000! My blood pressure elevates whenever I sense someone is using deceit on me or I see it happening to others.

But wait! How is that so different from a parent bribing their kids to get them to do good instead of evil? Is it all that different when teachers or preachers use setup situations in their communications to communicate a lesson? I have often wrestled with defining manipulation.

Manipulation is repulsive, and no one likes it. But could there be a very fine line between using discretion in order to get them to be a better person and manipulation that is done for selfish gain? The operative difference lies in the why—the motivations for what is done. Jesus used discretion to speak to the woman at the well and parables to open people’s minds to hear the truth so they could be set free or to live a more abundant life. Never was it for His personal gain.

In contrast, Jacob, a Bible character, manipulated his father in order to steal his brother’s inheritance. Eventually, God dealt with that character flaw using discretion to position Jacob for a crisis moment that would change the trajectory of his future. During that crisis, the angel of the Lord wrestled with Jacob until he admitted his name was Jacob, which meant schemer or trickster (Genesis 32:27 AMP). This admission ended with God changing Jacob’s name to Israel (Genesis 32:28). God also left him with a limp as a permanent reminder of his transformation.

Prov. 11:1 reads, “God detests the use of dishonest scales, but he delights in accurate weights.”    We get that because we know He is Truth and loves Truth. Furthermore, using dishonest scales is clearly for personal gain. Let us dive deeper into this. In the sermon on the mount, when Jesus was teaching how God will provide for us, He uses a metaphor pointing out how stunningly God provides for the grass in the fields. He then says, “how much more” (Mt. 6:30) will God cloth or supply our needs? It is an insult to God’s desire to provide for us when we use any form of manipulation, or any form of dishonest scales, to get what we think we want.

In that context, God hates manipulation because it is man’s way of trying to bypass God’s desires to provide for His children. What ways of our culture have you attempted in order to gain success when God does not seem to give you what you want when you want it? How well did that work out for Abraham? (Genesis 16:1-4) Have you tried to fast track things by using shame, fear, lies, or appealing to someone’s hunger for success, or using lust of some sort to get what you want? If so, do those ways sound like God’s ways of working with others, or Satan’s?

Being discontent with your current conditions, then trying to better yourself by using creative manipulation, is NOT the answer! Red Alert!! The father of lies, Satan, is trying to manipulate you just as he did Eve and Jesus in the desert. Get a grip! Jesus came that you could have an abundant life, but you must trust Him and wait for Him to provide it in His time and ways. Devious people are disgusting to the LORD, but he is delighted with those whose ways are innocent. Proverbs 11:20 (GW)

I will never forget going into a small classroom that doubled as a prayer room and kneeling near a pew there. What made it so memorable to me was what happened to me that Sunday morning.

I was a sophomore in Bible college wrestling with a variety of issues. The most pronounced was that being at this college was going against so much of what I wanted to do. I had vowed multiple times when in high school I would never be a pastor! … never! I attended this college because my dad requested me to go to Bible college for one year before transferring to a college that would prepare me to be a businessman, accountant, or counselor.

As I was driving off the campus my freshman year, a friend stopped me and said “Congratulations on your scholarship!” I was shocked. You see, in my first year I worked 60 hours a week pumping gas and doing minor mechanic work on cars to pay my way through college. That had taken all my money, so I did not have money to go to another college. Since the scholarship would pretty much pay for another year at college, I decided I would return to this college but continue to take only basic transferable classes.

Kneeling, I intuitively sensed God calling me to be a minister! I told Him I would obey, BUT I would only be a music and youth pastor. I’m sure God got a good chuckle out of that! My journey from that point on was like Abraham’s when God called him to leave his homeland but did not tell him where to go! He simply had to follow God’s leading. (Hebrews 11:8)

I was a slow learner because from that point on, I continued to be called to go deeper and deeper into occupational ministry and pushing back hard on that call each time. But God was merciful despite me. He graciously taught me and used how he had shaped me. Ironically, in 2020, I felt released from my calling so I could retire. Little did Connie and I know the retirement path ahead of us would consist of years of battling with Connie’s incurable, unique and lethal version of Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The only thing we recognize in this journey is we again are on a trip, like Abraham, where we do not know where we are going. The only thing we know is God knows what He is doing in us and through us.

We’ve discovered God does not always tell you what He is going to do; He reveals to you Who He is. We believe in a miracle-working God and have learned through it all to surrender to Him until we will not be surprised at anything He does. This is a new level of faith for us. We, especially Connie, feel a variety of debilitating pain, but we enjoy a deep level of God’s peace within us.

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading. It is a life of faith, not of intellect and reason, but a life of knowing Who makes us “go.” The root of faith is the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest challenges is the idea that God is sure to lead us to victory. It is about something infinitely beyond the purification of faith. It is about being tried and proven, resulting in the faith the three Hebrew children had in Daniel 3:18. Their faith was not focused on God intervening. It was focused on the character of God. His ways may or may not be preferable to us, but they will always be right as well as best for all involved.

If your path is confusing, look beyond what you can imagine and upon who is leading you.

I grew up in one of multiple ‘holiness’ church groups. These fellowships championed a variety of extreme ideas. The group I was part of ranked somewhere in the middle. The negative reputation of the Biblical term “holy” was a consequence of some of their extreme behaviors and beliefs. Today’s culture, with its strong emphasis on individuality, independence, and self-centered ambition, finds these extremes especially repulsive. Holiness is rarely taught in religious settings, literature, or study groups nowadays, which is not surprising. Why is it that the Bible is so explicit about God’s demand for us to lead a holy life? Is God really that outdated? I’ve been driven by curiosity to investigate what the Bible truly says about this.

While Scripture frequently refers to being holy, the apostle Peter writes it most explicitly. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 1 Peter 1:15 (NLT2) Grammatically, this is God’s command, not an ideal for us to consider. The context of the verse offers the best commentary on what this verse is really saying. First, it says we must define the term holy in the context of God’s holiness, not our fabrication of it. Second, it contrasted holiness with how you used to live, satisfying your own desires or the passions of your former ignorance. This is not just about outward holiness but one’s inner being, in how they think, behave, and respond. How critical is this matter? The Bible also says, make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness, no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 (NIV) That makes our inner holiness all important. So, why does God insist on us being holy when it is so diametrically different from human nature? He does so because He created us and knows the essentials for us to experience the most abundant life possible. (John 10:10)

The word “holy” means to be separated or set apart from the ordinary and devoted to what is true and right in the long term—Bible truths. While some may view it as piety, piety implies outward conduct rather than inner belief. Because of God’s pure integrity, He prioritizes a heart totally committed to loving Him over empty words or behavior.

I’ve been exploring John Comer’s book Live No Lies—a very enlightening book!! In it, he defines a lie and truth. He stresses that life includes a constant personal battle with the practice of living lies in contrast to truths.

We are being barraged with lies supported by friends, the media, politicians, educators—and yes, ministers at church. Jesus and the New Testament writers repeatedly warned against lies or false teachers. The fact is the growing dysfunction we see these days is simply the fruit of the decades of lies our world has embraced. The challenge we face is to discern correctly between the truth and deception in what we see or hear. The encouraging part is, God is not as concerned about the lies we may innocently follow as He is with how we respond to the lie when His Spirit enlightens us with His truth. That is when the call to holiness becomes vividly clear.

If you prayerfully examined the driving force behind your decisions, how many of them may have been rooted in personal preference and how many from God’s Word? Understand, no church group is flawless in their set of doctrines, so relax. God is focused on your response to His truth once He has enlightened you? How have you been responding when the Spirit reveals His truth about holiness—a life separated from the common and devoted to His truths? A holy life is a most abundant life.