The pursuit of holiness is not a choice; it is a command and exhortation. "...be holy, because I am holy." (1 Peter 1:16). Tozer described holiness as something heavenly, awe-inspiring, mysterious and fear-evoking. It is also a character of kindness, mercy, purity, moral blamelessness and godliness.
For us who are Christians and believe in the truth, we ought to strive for a life of holiness. We know what is required of us and everyday, we are forced to make decisions and choices that would reflect on how far we have travelled on this road towards holiness. No one other than ourselves and God knows better, in fact God knows far more than we do, because He searches the very depths of our hearts.
However, God created us not because He needed us for He is self-sufficient but because He wants us. Therefore, I believe that He desired all things good for us, His intention was to behold and cultivate a close, inseparable bond with His creation. The essence of the heart of the believer who is willing to be penetrated by the Spirit of God and to be moulded into His image is wondrously holy and permeated with this magnificent quality that he/she does not need to toil for it but only yearn and desire for more of it. God will not disappoint the believer who has a heart after Him, a heart that daily seeks Him and desires for more of Him- His holiness.
It is not grandiose and out of reach. I believe God did not intend for us to be swept into a whirlwind of complex religion only to end up being caught in the middle. That is why we all know that the experience of God is of much greater value than mere puffed up theology. Don't get me wrong, sound doctrine is important but cannot exist without being accompanied by a true experience of the living God.
So what I need to ensure of in my life, is to have this inexhaustible desire to draw 'feelingly near' to my Creator, to put selfish ambition and limitations of the human mind aside and to long for a life of holiness.
I don't know about you, but when I was a kid, the word 'holy' seemed definable, which when I think about it now is laughable. Because you can't exactly define holy, just as you can't really define love, because all these have to be felt and experienced. I can remember how my friend used to snicker, "Look at him, he's acting so holy! ', or " Don't try to act all holy in front of me." Definitely a gross misuse of the word 'holy'. And I don't have to go into the multitude of vulgarities coined from this word either.
Ah, the price to pay when we go the extra mile! But, take heart, because I believe that holiness is a 'sweet and radiant fragrance' that our generation needs to be imbued with so we can impact those around us.
