A Closer Relationship With God Is The Path To Holiness, Not Trying Harder To Be Holy

My Utmost For His Highest

 

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfect… —Philippians 3:12

 

“It is a trap to presume that God wants to make us perfect specimens of what He can do— God’s purpose is to make us one with Himself. [...] How can we say, “It could never be God’s will for me to be sick”? If it was God’s will to bruise His own Son (Isaiah 53:10), why shouldn’t He bruise you? What shines forth and reveals God in your life is not your relative consistency to an idea of what a saint should be, but your genuine, living relationship with Jesus Christ, and your unrestrained devotion to Him whether you are well or sick.[…] Christian perfection is the perfection of a relationship with God that shows itself to be true even amid the seemingly unimportant aspects of human life. […] I am called to live in such a perfect relationship with God that my life produces a yearning for God in the lives of others, not admiration for myself.” CHAMBERS

 

I must be careful when I write a devotion to encourage the Saints, lest I cause them to focus on the product of holiness and not the source of holiness.  When God said “Be holy because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16) was it possible that the point is not “this is how I am so you go be that way to” but more “Because I am holy the result of our relationship is that you will be holy”  This is not setting obedience aside.  It is drawing close to God’s side.  Don’t you get so tired of being tempted?  Still struggling with the same issues, over and over again?  Don’t deny them, but don’t let their elimination become the focus of your attention.  Focus on your relationship on Jesus. This is the time of year that we are reminded of the Father sending the Son.  The hallmark of Jesus’ life on earth was His focused relationship with the Father.  Want to be like Jesus?  I would start there.  ELGIN

 

Take My Life  SCOTT UNDERWOOD

 

Holiness, holiness is what I long for holiness is what I need

Holiness, holiness is what you want for me

 

Righteousness, righteousness is what I long for righteousness is what I need

Righteousness that's what You want for me

 

Take my heart and mold it take my mind transform it

Take my will conform it to yours to yours Oh Lord

 

Brokenness, brokenness is what I long for brokenness is what I need

Brokenness, brokenness that's what you want for me