"No one is perfect. Dean isn't perfect. Every relationship has problems."
"No, Dean is not perfect and neither am I. It takes the perfecting hand of God to make this work."
"Well, there is still no such thing as a perfect relationship."
This conversation happened a long time ago. Maybe ten or so years ago. A friend was in a destructive relationship with a man that she just could not sever. It hurt me and on a human note, it made me angry. Not righteous anger, more of a self-righteous anger. I was bothered enough to challenge the relationship but I will admit that I did not pray often enough, nor correctly about it. I did more opinion-sharing that interceding.
In the time since I was young, we have made a subtle exchange in what we want out of life. We look for "healthy" instead of "holy." It seems easier to swallow. It is much nicer to tell someone they need to make healthy choices than holy ones. The problem is that healthy can be defined within the individual while holy is entirely focused on God. Anorexics look at fat people and call themselves healthy.
We make decisions based on our emotional response and when we feel good about something, we call that healthy.
Did you know that holy doesn't feel good in the short-term? It goes against the nature of flesh that we reside within. It is the very point of holiness, to crucify the desires from within. Holiness is entirely uncomfortable.
I am very far from the daily pursuit of holiness. I am emotionally balanced and relatively successful and happily married and close to my entire family. By all appearances, I am quite healthy. Not to mention my blood pressure and glucose are perfection. My cholesterol is great. My weight is about ten pounds too high but that isn't earth-shattering. I am educated and employed. I have friends who support me and love me. My house is warm and my pantry is full. I drink eight 8 oz. servings of water per day and limit my caffeine to two cups of java in the morning. I am healthy.
But I am not holy.
I laid in bed recently reading. This is how I go to sleep every night. I was reading a novel that was neither healthy nor holy. Just entertaining. The Lord nudged me, put that book down and pray. I pushed the thought aside like a gnat buzzing around my head. A few more pages. Put the book away and pray. "Lord, blah blah blah. In Jesus name." A few more pages.
"Put that book away and pray. How far away from me are you?"
How far indeed. It made my chest ache. I put the book away and turn off the light and instantly a one line prayer arose from my spirit, "God fix his life; God fix his life; God fix his life" Over and over these four words poured out of me. It was like the old days when preachers spoke about "My spirit groans within me..." My spirit was groaning with this prayer that was laden with urgency. "God fix his life." No details came to my lips although I knew the specifics that this man needed." No pretty thees and thous or poetic phrasing.
"God fix his life."
Some battle was raging in heavenly places and I almost refused the call to arms. No, I did refuse it. I was nearly dragged kicking and screaming away from a crime novel to wage war for someone I love.
How far away am I? So far I only crave holiness in starts and stops and will trade it for worthless dirt.
We cannot be healthy and not holy. I am not healthy. When all is given to God's glory, then I will call myself in pursuit of holiness. I have divided myself into too many pieces. I cannot be six parts holy and four parts flesh or I am unholy. I am blinded by "health."
God forgive me.
Set me aside fully for Christ, and I will be whole. I will be holy.
I will finally be healthy.
Holy: 1. Set apart to the service or worship of God; hallowed; sacred; reserved from profane or common use; holy vessels; a holy priesthood. ``Holy rites and solemn feasts.'' --Milton.
2. Spiritually whole or sound; of unimpaired innocence and virtue; free from sinful affections; pure in heart; godly; pious; irreproachable; guiltless; acceptable to God.
3 John 1:2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
2 comments:
This post gives much to think about ... I read this on another blog:
"As a believer… As one who is in Christ… When God sees you, he doesn’t simply see you as his cherished child, but he sees you as a perfect cherished child…
I love to put it this way. He looks at you through a Jesus filter.
The very righteousness of Christ is placed on your account.
Colossians 1 verse 21.
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight-- 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard.
If you are one who has placed his or her faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ and you are trusting in what He did for you, God sees you as holy, blameless, and above reproach.
The Greek word translated as holy means: most holy thing.
In other words you can’t get any holier in God’s sight than the way He sees you as a believer in Jesus Christ…
Because of what Jesus did for you on the cross, when God looks at you…He says, “You are holy.”
The word translated as “holy” is the word hagios.
It’s the same word that is used in the book of Revelation when a song is sung to the LORD.
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God almighty!
Holy is a word that’s used to describe Jesus.
And it’s the word used to describe how God sees you as a believer.
That is how Jesus presents you to the Father…washed and cleansed by His blood shed upon the cross of Calvary.
God also sees you as blameless and above reproach…
You are clean and your record is clean.
You are a child of God…
All of this is given to you freely as a gift when you believe upon the finished work of Jesus Christ.
You are saved by grace…. And your salvation is maintained by grace. Your part is to simply believe upon the finished work of Jesus Christ…and to abide in Him day by day…knowing that He will never leave you nor forsake you and you are His…
That is salvation. It’s all grace…"
We look for "healthy" instead of "holy." Good preachin' sistah!
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