Be Ye Holy

I recently came upon 1Peter 1:16... "Be ye holy as I am holy." I've read that a thousand times and quoted it in countless situations. But it took my by surprise and I began to think to myself, Wow. God is telling me to be holy just like He is. Surely if God tells me to be like Him, He knows it is possible. How awesome is that!

So, not quite understanding exactly what "be ye holy" means in the context of that verse, I look it up and finds it means "most holy thing, a saint."

Great! That is simple.

Then I put in in practical terms... how I can be holy like God. I went on and read in Vines that this holiness is not a spiritual attainment but a complete and full sanctification daily. Something that is practiced daily. It gives me the hope that no matter where I am in my "holiness" I am free because I never do have to attain. That is not for me. It is God's grace in me doing that work. I never have to be judge on my holiness. I never have to be categorized. Of course, people can if they want, and I'm sure they do, but it doesn't matter. I am not judged by their rule of holiness; I am judged by Gods.

This sainthood is not an attainment, it is a state into which God in grace calls men; yet believers are called to sanctify themselves consistently with
their calling, cleansing themselves from all defilement, forsaking sin, living a
"holy" manner of life, and experiencing fellowship with God in His holiness.

And that gives me freedom and that gives me hope.

I love having that law of liberty take it's course in my soul and spread it's joy to the far corners of my heart.

But, like a pendulum swinging on a clock back and forth, I bounce back into reality and take a narrow straw that is my belief system and fickely place the narrow opening on this Biblical concept. And then the checklist begins. And then reality hits. And while walking in faith on the stormy sea of water that is called life, I began to sink in despair when I look to a preconceived concept of holiness and take my eyes off Jesus; my true example of holiness.

I am held back by a faithless grasp on God. I cannot attain that holiness. My heart can yearn for it, my spirit can take hold of it and my mind can even grasp it. But, in practical every day life, I am influenced by an interpretation of what holiness means. The straw I am looking down fills with a check list of what "holy" like God means and looks like.

And then come the doubts. And Satan whispering in my ear how "unholy" this is. Or that is... like he can really judge holiness anyway. And I look around me to gauge what holiness should be. Just like Peter looked around while walking on the water.

Oh to stay above the stormy water! To breath the air of Life created for freedom! To live The Abundant Life that Jesus promised!

And to remember that Peter didn't start sinking until he looked at the circumstances around him. Until he remembered another law. Until he questioned Christ's direction. Until he was unlike Christ.

That was when he sank. And that's when I will too.