WHY LIVE HOLY 

WHY LIVE HOLY 

If the only reasons you pursue a holy life are fear of punishment or hope of bigger blessings and rewards, something is seriously off.

That kind of “holiness” exposes a shaky foundation built on fear and greed, not on truth and love.  It turns God into a cosmic scorekeeper instead of a  loving Father.

True holiness isn’t manufactured through gritted teeth and white-knuckle discipline.  It’s the natural overflow, the beautiful fruit, of a vibrant, healthy relationship with God.  You can’t force fruit to grow by yelling at the tree.  It grows when the tree is rooted in rich soil, bathed in sunlight, and watered consistently.  The same is true for us.  Holiness blossoms when we stay connected to the Vine.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:  against such there is no law”  (Galatians 5:22-23).

The Pharisees wore holiness like a costume.  They looked the part, talked the talk, and impressed the crowds, but they didn’t know God.  They tried to impress Him with their rigid rules and self-righteous sacrifices.

Real holiness is the opposite:  It flows from being utterly impressed by God, captivated by His beauty, overwhelmed by His love, and transformed by His presence.  You stop trying to earn His approval and start living from it.

Beloved, let us (unselfishly) love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves (others) is born of God and knows God (through personal experience).  The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God (does not and never did know Him), for God is love.  (He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.)  I John 4:7-8  AMP        

Ed Elliot