Have you enjoyed the snow over the last few days? I know I have. It has a way of driving me to think about things I otherwise avoid. As I was shoveling my car out of the mounds of snow, I stopped and looked around at the white blanket and started thinking about holiness.

The bright white snow reminded me of an experiment the great scientist Isaac Newton tried centuries ago. He stared at the image of the sun reflected in a mirror. The brightness burned into his retina, and as a result, he suffered temporary blindness. Even after he hid for three days behind closed shutters the bright spot would not fade from his vision. "I used all means to divert my imagination from the sun," he wrote, "But if I thought upon [it] I presently saw [its] picture though I was in the dark."

I imagine Newton’s experience with the sun is just a taste of what it would be like if we were able to look upon the holiness of God.

One time after meeting with God, Moses’ face was bright and literally radiant because he had been standing in God’s presence. When Moses came down from the mountain the people had to cover his face with a cloth because he was too bright to look at. They were merely looking at a reflection of God’s holiness; Moses was able to actually stand and see God’s holiness for himself.

The brilliance of God’s holiness is unfathomable. Yet, we are told in Leviticus, 1 Corinthians, and Ephesians to strive to obtain this holiness in our own lives. Peter instructed that "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’" (1 Peter 1:14-16).

For us to obtain even the smallest amount of holiness in our lives requires that we have an unquenchable desire for Christ-likeness. Holiness is being yoked with Christ. This means that we are walking in step with Him by knowing how He lived while on earth from the Bible, as well as prayerfully asking what He desires us to do today.

Here are some characteristic of holy people:

First, they strive to avoid every known sin, and strive to keep every known command. It means we hate what God hates and love what God loves.

Holy people seek to have a pure heart.

Holy people live in God’s love. John wrote in Scripture that we are to be "lavishing in His love," meaning that we bathe our souls in God’s gracious and loving kindness. In turn we will be men and women who live in and act out the attributes of love described in 1 Corinthians 13.

Holy people care about others with great mercy. We must be people that care for the bodies, minds, feelings, property, and souls of others. This means thinking of everyone else before the thought of "me" even comes into our minds.

Holy people fear God because they see their own lack of holiness they reverently respect God and His authority in their lives. Like a small child respects and wants to please his father, so we too must glorify God by obeying Him.

Holy people strive for humility. This is not only getting rid of all pride, but being aware and repentant of our sin before God. It is having the same attitude as Paul when he wrote to Timothy and referred to himself as the "chief of all sinners." (2 Tim 2:14)

Holy people live in a spiritual mindset, striving to have God’s perspective by looking at life through His eyes.

Holy people strive for faithfulness. They are unwavering men and women that live a single standard life—God’s standard.

We must long to be truly holy; this does not mean perfect, but ashamed and repentant for our sin and continually striving to be a reflection of God’s glory.

D.L. Moody once said, "A holy life will make the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns, they just shine."

Keep striving for Holiness, Creekside. Keep striving for God.

Remember Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend so be sure to set your clocks BACK one hour this Saturday night.

You are loved,

Josh

I bet you‘ve heard this phrase before, "The pot calling the kettle black." This idiom was probably coined back in the day when pots and kettles were used over wood-burning stoves and the longer they hung over the fire, the blacker their bottoms would become—so a pot and a kettle used over the same stove would be equally as black. For a pot to call a kettle black would be to call names and point out flaws in the kettle that are true of itself as well.

Do you ever notice that we are often a bunch of pots and kettles, pointing out the flaws in others that we are just as guilty of ourselves?

In John 8:1-11, John tells a story about when the teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought a woman who was caught in adultery to Jesus. These teachers of the law said, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"

These guys thought they knew what the "Law" said, but they were just waiting for Jesus to tell them they were right. And if He didn‘t, they were probably ready to stone him too.

So what did Jesus say? He didn‘t tell them to stone her but He didn‘t tell them not to, either. Instead he responded, "If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." And what happens? Scripture says that they went "away one at a time, the older ones first."

Imagine what it must have been like to be there. Here are all these esteemed "keepers of the law" walking away from a lawbreaker, each one letting their stones drop to the ground. With each soft thud of the dropping stones a confession was made:

(thud) yep, me too, I‘ve sinned.

(thud) I‘ve done just as bad, if not worse.

(thud) I am that kettle, and you are that pot. I am no better than you.

Sometimes we‘re just as hypocritical as those Pharisees. Just as Christ taught us in Matthew 7:3-5, we have no business pointing out the speck in another‘s eye when we should be more concerned with the plank in our own. Only after we identify the sin in our own life will we be able to help our brothers and sisters deal with their struggles.

We must keep the right perspective of others and ourselves in light of the Cross of Christ. By doing so we‘ll see that although we‘re all dirty like pots and kettles, we‘re all cleansed by grace alone.

Keep digging deep, Creekside. I am so proud of the way so many of you are growing in God‘s Word and "keeping watch over yourselves" (Galatians 6:1) before worrying about the flaws of others.

Parents: don‘t forget to come out to the Parent‘s meeting this Sunday night at 6:00 PM at the ministry center. Our children‘s ministry staff is looking forward to equipping you further for the spiritual training of your kids at home.

See you all Sunday Morning!

You are loved,

Josh.