You can get with this, or you can get with that.

Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16

Although we ourselves are not divine we are invited to be partakers of such nature. We must strive to bring a full portion of the character of Christ into our daily lives. It is by this character and by this unfailing love that the world will ultimately be changed.

It is not up to us to bring conviction to our fellow man. The Bible reserves that right for Holy Spirit. However, holding our brothers accountable to the cause of Christ is necessary and well within our rights as Christians. But don't be fooled into thinking that it is your job to work out the salvation of others. Keep account of your own actions, your own thoughts, and your own words. When before the throne of God there is no opportunity for redemption, the line is drawn and what side you're on depends on you and you alone. 

In ancient Judaism the word holiness was ONLY used to describe God and in the new testament Jesus invites us into that realm. Leviticus 11 calls God's people (Israel) to consecrate themselves. Dietary laws were instituted in order to separate the clean from the unclean, the wheat from the chaff--God's people vs. the world.

A direct invitation from a rabbi was unheard of in those days. They were the elite, the chosen. Jesus, the high priest, invites us to participate in a nature that is unbeknownst to mankind. While remembering your humanity is important, it is far more important to remember your re-creation. Humanity qualifies us for redemption, becoming Christ-like qualifies us as heirs. The blood was not poured out for believers only, it was poured out for mankind. What separates us, what makes us holy, is the nature of Christ. Apart from possessing salvation we are no different than our neighbor, we're human.But being human and being born with sinful nature does not give room for perpetual and intentional sin. Once you step into the realm of holiness retreat is not an option. As members of the body of Christ we are required to live a life different from that of the world. It becomes our identity. 

The people of God were never meant to be less than mediocre. We are called to excellence. We are called to be the elite members of society. We are called to be politicians changing the world, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and even janitors. We are called to infiltrate every area of our community. It will be impossible to incite change in others if we first do not incite change in ourselves. When salvation is truly had, holiness is what becomes of us. It's painful, its stressful, its long--but its beautiful. The path to holiness will undoubtedly one of the most trying and excruciating things we can experience. But the end result is well worth every test. 

I urge you to evaluate yourself. Ask God to judge your heart and your life. We are all born into sin. But the gracious God of heaven offers us a new birth and calls us a new creation. Yes, the character of God, the entirety of His being is love. But God is also Holy. We must therefore be imitators and partakers of His love, mercy, and holiness. 

Become Holy--because God is Holy.

I've never told ANYONE.

So I fell. Sue me.

I spent my whole life being guarded and scared. Partially because of what I've been told and partially because of what other people would think. I let myself believe that if I made other people happy with the relationships I was in then I'd be happy too. Sadly, that wasn't the case. I never made them happy--I never made myself happy. I let the judgements that other people make get the best of me. I let my heart be held by people who don't hold my future. As every human, all I ever wanted was to love. It must be something spectacular if the world has this undying obsession with it, right? I mean, I don't really know much about it other than what I've been told. But I do know that I've seen it once. 

It was a cold day in December and one of the most beautiful days indeed. I saw it standing there, tall as ever. I, of course, had no idea who he was. I watched him sit at my piano and play a million songs while my mom and I did puzzles at the table. I had always wanted to sing for him but I knew he was a harsh critic so I never did. He was there during the most difficult time of my life. I fought with him almost daily. He was so old to me, even though he was only 11 days older. We hugged twice in the span of a 2 year friendship. I quickly found myself falling for someone who was so very different from me. He would always say "we're from two different worlds." And that was the best part about it. He knew nothing of what I knew and vice versa. We hadn't ever experienced the same things which meant we'd have endless stories to share. We were completely opposite. "Saint and sinner" he would say. I spent hours talking to him, days thinking about him, and now I'll spend years regretting him. I can't walk into a bookstore without him coming to mind. 

He used to think I never paid attention. But I always paid attention. I loved his strange collections of music and literature. I loved how he'd driven to my house a million times and used a GPS every time. I loved how he would go off on tangents about life being about pain and heartache and tell me one day I'd find a good man and forget about him. He was really one of the only people I'd ever shared so much of myself with. Sounds ideal huh? Things took a turn when I started developing feelings for him. He'd told me he felt the same, but I never brought myself to revealing it to him. I knew in my mind it would never work. At the same time I knew in my heart that he was exactly what I wanted. 

(If you've read this far, I commend you.) 

I started thinking that something like this would never fly with my family or my church. All that would race through my head was everyone disagreeing that I wasn't with someone who was a Christian. So I stopped contacting him. It made sense at the time. I develop feelings that I cant act on, so I cut him off. Seems easy. I didn't mind it as long as I knew that I could call him up and know he'd be there. Til one day he called and told me he had hit the road and left Chicago. [Originally he's from Hartford CT. To be honest I doubt he'd even care an ounce now.]  I remember being at my aunts house and crying cause I knew I'd missed my chance. At that point all I wanted was a hug from him.

 Im still trying to talk myself out of finishing this blog. It's more than likely just me being, well, me. 

I wont go into the gory details about how our friendship ended. I wont lay blame on anyone either. But I will say this, our separation is tearing me up inside. I promised him that I wouldn't come back. I don't know whats more foolish. Me wanting to, or me just sitting here writing blogs about it for the rest of my life. Im sure he's not torn up about it, or secretly hoping that I do come back. But I'm more sure that I would give anything to see him again and lay it all out, just so that I don't have to wonder. I'd love to know that I fell and was able to get back up without a scar. As of right now--its still an open wound, and I miss him more everyday.

Bound by the Draconian Code.

I am troubled.

Indeed. I am troubled in the sense that I am only human and have not yet reached divinity. I have stayed up nights fighting back tears. I have lied to people and myself. I've slandered and been slandered. I've held bitterness and been prone to fits of rage. I have sinned and fallen short of His glory. I fought off tears and deflected pain to the point that I can no longer be softened by a tender touch. I kept myself from feeling. See, I spent so long attempting to be moved by the Spirit alone and remove myself from human weakness that I made myself numb to the movings of the Spirit. I lost my sensitivity to the inner workings. I was so set on sanctified tears and tears of worship that I had no burden. 

We find all too often that we struggle only to suppress our humanity. All our lives we've been told that it is our humanity that makes us sinful. Actually it is quite the opposite--it is our humanity that qualifies us for redemption! We are redeemed because we are human. There is so much emphasis on divinity that humanity gets left in the dust, why? It truly is one of the most beautiful parts of living. If I were an angel or even a dog, I wouldn't qualify for the blood. I would never have the opportunity to experience the extreme need and, at the same time, lack of God. Christianity has called us to be statuesque, the rain comes, lightning strikes, and they'll tell you that in the end if you aren't standing you've been defeated. Defeat to me means you're destroyed, irreparable. Take joy, hope is not lost. Christianity is not the cornerstone. Christ Himself calls us to Him through His blood. Surely the blood was not shed for a fashioned rock. No, it was poured our for humanity. He calls us to holiness, and He's so gracious, and so good, that He even puts a little disclaimer knowing we are incapable. "Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit. Says the Lord." (Zech 4:6)Through our failings and shortcomings he works wonders. If he perfected the perfect there would be no miracle of redemption, no healing, and no restoration.

Paul commanded us to count it all joy when we suffer and go through trials. Indeed, count it all joy that you qualify for the unfailing love and salvation. Count it joy that you can cry out, and struggle, and desire a Saviour. Not even the angels in heaven  have that chance, they already sit at the throne of God. But we, dear humans, have been granted eternal life through salvation because of our weakness. And because we, as humans, are troubled and have not yet reached divinity. 

God is not man that He should lie.

The validity and credibility of the Bible has always been the prominent subject of Theological debate. It's content has come under fire time and time again. Many argue that we cannot put our faith in this "book" because it is just that--a book. I have heard it said that its reliability is virtually non-existent seeing as it was written by men. Spectacularly, God always seems to show Himself through these words that meremen have written. Although some may claim that it is inaccurate and cannot be used as fact, thefact is that God's word is His word. Imagine coming before the throne of God having read numerous theological reference books, having dedicated your life to proving that the Bible is not inerrant--only to be looked at by God and asked "SAYS WHO?" Now pardon me for failing to believe that Gods word as it is written is not His word. Granted it has been translated and rewritten hundreds of times. But don't you think that God would honor my quest for truth? Do you not believe that if I seek out revelation of His word He'll give it to me? Do you think He's willing to excuse mankind's deliberate wickedness and rebellion because man re wrote the Bible? Do you think the Lord our God is pleased with a man who doesn't trust and take Him at His word? It is impossible to me, or at least it seems impossible, to be able to serve God without having a daily connection to His word. And you who are well versed in scripture ought to know better. Do you think that at any point in time someone was praying about the Bible and suddenly the Lord appeared to them and said "man has tainted my word, you should question it. Not only that, but I command you to read books about theology and history WRITTEN BY MAN, so that you can find out more about what I actually said. Apparently Moses and Paul weren't listening to me correctly. As a matter of fact, just create a whole new doctrine."

Mercy. Mercy. Mercy. I pray mercy, and pity the fool who questions the word of God. I feel sorry for the man who thinks He knows better than God Himself. Just to be clear, God is not a respecter of person. He's not a respecter of human tradition or culture--no. God breaks the pattern of this world, He is not characterized by any less than mediocre mold that we have dreamt up for Him. Tell me, where in the Bible does it say that we need to prove it wrong? Better yet, show me where God says it is unreliable. Learn to read your Bible under the direction and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Because God is not man that He should lie.

"If it is in the Bible, it is so. It's not even to be prayed about. It's to be received and acted upon."  Smith Wigglesworth