“Resetting Holiness!”

January 9, 2025January 9, 2025Leave a comment

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).

“And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean” (Ezekiel 44:23).

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children” (Hosea 4:6).

“Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

Resetting holiness. Has the church lost this all-important standard? Has the desire to become a seeker-friendly church (which I have nothing against) and the like caused us to shift our focus from how God calls us to worship, live, and operate?

Have we become like the temple that Ezekiel witnessed, whose people caused the glory of God to leave that place?

Studying Ezekiel 8, we see while there was “worship” going on in the temple, it was not God’s worship. The people who were to live in a covenant relationship with God were bowing down to false gods and giving themselves over completely to idolatry. The people who were to live pure and holy, a sanctified (set apart) people, their lives and practices now celebrated the things God called abominations. Things that were wrong and out of order of the true reverence of God were now being declared to be right and acceptable.

In that, I wonder how far the modern church has drifted from God’s holy standards and how close we are to being like those people of old. Those who “worshiped” wrongly behind the walls believing it did not matter and that nobody, including God, saw them (ref. Ezekiel 8:12).

While we may not be involved in those exact things, and while I have nothing against the modern uses whereby we usher in worship, I must wonder if in our coming together, we are coming in the right spirit. When David penned the words, “Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:1-2), I see in those beautiful verses what God deserves, and I must ask myself are we giving Him what He deserves?

Are we magnifying His glory in our building and in our lives, or are we chasing His glory away from the center of what we call worship, as seen in Ezekiel 10?

For God’s glory to be strong with us, we must be strong in God! God doesn’t want us to honor Him with our mouths only, but He wants us to live and worship Him from the heart (Matthew 15:8; Isaiah 29:13).

And, my friends, it is from the heart where the resetting needs to begin, a heart that longs for more of God. It is worship that invites His presence to come closer rather than repelling. We want God’s glory permeating the atmosphere as in the days of old when they were overwhelmed in worship by His presence in a good way (1 Kings 8:10-11).

But for that to happen, things must change. Wherever God’s presence is, things cannot go on as before. He is a holy God, and the environment where He resides must be holy. There is a transformation that must take place where the people worship.

God’s desire has always been to be near His people. And in Ezekiel 43, he sees a light of hope. Instead of seeing God’s glory moving away from His people, God’s glory is moving toward His people, toward His temple (43:3-5).

With that also came a message of warning: “And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile . . .” (43:6-7).

God cannot reside in an unsanctified place. The people’s responsibility was to get in line with what God wanted. For Him, there has always been a line between holy and unholy (Leviticus 10:10). There must be a resetting of holiness as the standard then, as well as now: “This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy . . .” (Ezekiel 43:12).

In all of this, you may be wondering how exactly do we go about the business of resetting holiness?

First, I must say that resetting holiness should always begin with repentance. God’s glory left the temple because of the people’s sin. Sin corrupts. Sin interrupts fellowship with God. Sin will prohibit Him from coming to where you are. They were to “put away” from them those things that defiled the place of worship (Ezekiel 43:7-9).

James 4:8 says, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (see also Isaiah 1:16 and 2 Timothy 2:21).

Then, there must be the restoration of proper worship. They had to do more than take the wrong things out. They had to bring in or adopt the right things, the right ways.

For them, the focus was on the altar and how it was to be consecrated, respected, and used (Ezekiel 43:13-25). They had to fully honor God in His service. They do this by honoring the way He prescribed things to be done.

How this restoration of true worship may look for us today is for us to refocus on why we are here, what we are doing here, and who are we honoring here. Answering those questions will help us to realign our purpose for being here, which all boils down to one complete, overall answer: God.

Why are we here? – God.

What are we doing here? – God.

Who are we honoring here? – God.

When we keep those three things in proper perspective, we reset holiness as the standard in our lives and in our worship, and the glory of God can take over the atmosphere.

Reposted from October 11, 2022

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Beautifying the Temple

September 17, 2024Leave a comment

“And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty…” 2 Chronicles 3:6

The house of God, have we lost our wonder and respect for such an edifice? The specified place designated for drawing near to His holy presence. The place ordained by His Spirit for the saint to come and be refreshed, and to learn what thus saith the Lord. The place for the sinner to find refuge if he will but hide himself in the salvation offered there.

Solomon did everything in his power to beautify this sacred space. Other kings had other gods with other buildings of worship. But for the King of all kings, and the one and only true living God, Creator of all, he knew he could not do enough to honor the Holy Presence there. Yet, he would do what he could because God deserved this and more for this designated meeting place.

The wonder and respect for the Lord God over all compelled him to lay out the best of the best to honor Him.

But Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19), speaking of His body regarding His death and resurrection. Paul goes on to say, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you…” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Are we taking such care as Solomon did in beautifying and honoring the temple? How are we caring for the temple within?

My friends, whether we be in a building we designate as the house of God, or be it the temple within, let us remember to bring honor to the place where God’s Spirit dwells. Never lose the awe and wonder over such a sacred assembly.

Take away anything that mars the beauty, stop any practice that brings dishonor and replace it with ornaments of grace (Proverbs 3:22), remembering we are “Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:10).

May we bring our own precious stones of praise and honor to beautify His house.

In the finiteness of our humanity, Father God, You deserve so much more glory, honor, and praise.

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Uncompromising!

June 7, 2023June 6, 2023Leave a comment

Genuine.

Real.

No hypocrisy.

No pretense.

No compromising.

Just honest to goodness, holding on to one’s integrity with every fiber of their being. “This is what I believe, and I’m sticking to it!” The person who governs his or her faith by these attributes is a person who is truly sold out for God.

This one will unashamedly hold on to their beliefs despite circumstances. They are as clear as transparent glass in their true devotion to God. What you see is what you get. They are the same inside and out. They are as unwavering in their faith behind closed doors as they are in the open square. They are the same in the streets as they are in the church house. Their walk with God doesn’t swing on the hinges of what is convenient or comfortable or safe. They live for Him, for an audience of One, in the good times and the bad.

No backing down. No false or phony surface worship. Their hearts are truly tied to God in the most real of ways, and substituting for less just is not an option. And let’s face it, in a world filled with so many things that are artificial, at the very least, one’s faith should be real.

At least, that’s what Daniel and his friends: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah believed. Chosen to enter the king’s training program designed to indoctrinate them while being held captives in Babylon, they were given favorable treatment and “a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank,” (Daniel 1:5). While all of this may sound good on the outside, on the inside some things that came with this special favor didn’t sit right with Daniel. It came with a price that Daniel was not willing to pay. The price: compromise.

So, the Bible tells us, “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, not with wine which he drank . . .” (Daniel 1:8). Historically, traditionally, and according to the Law, to do so would be to participate in that which is considered unclean and not appropriate for the strict dietary guidelines of their faith.

Special privilege or not; an opportunity to advance and make life easier for himself could not and would not cause Daniel to do anything that would eat away at his conscience in his relationship with God. Throughout his young life, he has known nothing but to adhere to the ways of his people passed down from generation to generation under the instruction of God. Now that he was in captivity and at the disposal of the enemy’s power and influence, Daniel still persisted uncompromisingly to hold on to his belief and not waiver from what he had been taught to be right. The enemy’s goal may have been to indoctrinate these young people with their own ways, but God was already seared on their hearts and Daniel and his friends were resolved to keep it that way. They may have been in a strange country now and under strange human leadership, but their hearts were still tied to God and His ways, and they were determined with everything in them to follow God all the way.

Following God all the way, that’s the true definition, in my opinion, of an uncompromising life. We all face decisions and choices in life that may not sit well with us. They may ask us to do things that we feel aren’t pleasing to God or we know that it’s just out and out wrong. Jesus helps us with those decisions by plainly and without apology reminding us, “No man can serve two masters . . .” (Matthew 6:24). To follow the world would be to deny God. To follow God, as Daniel and his friends did, would mean turning your back on the world, the desires, and those things that we believe would make our life easier and advantageous.

When Daniel and his friends decided to stay with God and not take the easy way out, God blessed their faithfulness: “As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams” (Daniel 1:17). Previously, God made it known, “For them that honour me I will honour” (1 Samuel 2:30). Our God is a just God and He believes in rewarding them that diligently seek Him and His ways (Hebrews 11:6). In the end, God elevated Daniel and his friends with more.

Even if the reward isn’t as immediate. Even if we don’t see it on this side of heaven, God is still calling for uncompromising people of faith to pick up the standard of His Word and live it.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments . . .” Psalm 111:10

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A Song in Us!

November 4, 2022November 3, 2022Leave a comment

I sit and I hear the birds calling out to one another. One sings his melody, and another responds. The beauty of this conversation puts a smile on my face as I hear the rhythms of nature in their song.

In the heavens, where our eyes cannot yet see, there is a song more glorious being called out: “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts . . .” (Isaiah 6:3) as the seraphim cry out to one another. The adoration and praises of God fill the atmosphere of that heavenly realm. There, all give Him the glory. All recognize His splendor and majesty.

What are our hearts crying out for today? Is it more of what the world offers, or do we have something within us to offer Him?

Do we feel a calling out within us, stretching us to give Him praise? Are we welcoming Him in our lives and days, laying things down that we might raise a shout of “Hosanna” (Mark 11:10) in our hearts? Are we making room for Him, lauding Him as Lord over everything?

Or, have we allowed silence to be louder?

Redemption has instilled a song in us. Our salvation has enlightened us to be quicker with a heavenly melody of our own. Our own words of adoration come alive, wake up, take a stand, and shout of His unrecoiling love.

A love that has spared no expense to save me. A love that has looked hurt and pain in the face that one day I can hear those songs of heaven for myself and let my heart be joined with them when my feet stand before Him.

Yes, in that future we will praise in a beautiful way we have never experienced before. Until that day, I open my mouth and my heart today and praise the God of my salvation. I will let the glory of who He is roll from my lips, and let my heart sing her song with rejoicing.

“We Cannot Bless Your Name Enough!”

October 17, 2022August 21, 2023Leave a comment

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“Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:1-5)

Bless the LORD, O my soul, for He has done this for you. O soul, you that find mercy in His saving grace, in Him you are benefited. In Him, is found love and renewal. In Him, forgiveness resides and lives are made whole. In Him, there is healing for mind, body, and soul. In Him, your life is redeemed from the destruction it would have known without Him.

It is God, our heavenly Father, who has crowned your life so beautifully with these undeserving gifts. It was His faithfulness toward you that bestowed such lovingkindness in your life.

Tender are His mercies toward you. Let us never forget where our help comes from (Psalm 121:1-2). Let us always be reminded where our hope is found (Psalm 147:11), and that it is God alone who can be attributed to pouring “good things” into our lives (Psalm 103:5).

In Him, we are renewed, as with the strength of an eagle with our wings spread, gliding upon the winds of His Spirit, soaring high in this day, and in the days to come. You, O God, are our constant help through anything we face (Psalm 46:1), and we cannot bless Your name enough.

“Resetting Holiness!”

October 11, 2022August 8, 2024Leave a comment