Our study group will be focusing on The Hole in Our
Holiness by Kevin DeYoung over the next 10 weeks. Each Tuesday (or Wednesday), I’ll post a
short blog post going over the major talking points of the evening. I feel like this is good both for me to review
and think because I process through writing and also to allow absentee members
to see what we discussed.
The official definition of holiness is to be specially
dedicated or devoted to serving God and having spiritually pure qualities. From there, we can discuss at length what
exactly holiness means to each of us.
Holiness can definitely be encouraging in the fact that we see that it
can bring us closer to the Lord and also can allow us to live more like Christ
did. Unfortunately, it can be
discouraging as well. Knowing that we
sin and ultimately fail to live that perfect life can lead to feelings of
apathy. “I failed so now God can just
show me more grace. It’s ok.” Overcoming that mindset is a challenge indeed. We can’t just decide that we’re not going to
have that mindset. We need to draw near
to the Lord and ask Him to provide the strength, guidance, and wisdom to be
holy.
When we’re young, holiness is often a concept that is much
too advanced for us to necessarily grasp with ease. We understand that we need to be good and not
disobey our parents but the idea of disobeying God can be intimidating or a
foreign concept. However, as we grow
closer to God in our walk and begin to desire to be obedient to Him, we see our
passion for holiness grow and develop.
We will begin to search the small areas of our life that sin resides in
and look for ways to eradicate those sinful areas. When thinking about God’s holiness, it’s not
a far stretch to begin thinking about the holiness of Heaven. We will normally think about how Heaven is a
place of pure, spiritual bliss. We are
in the presence of our Savior. As Kevin
stated in his book, it’s important to realize that if we are not focusing on
our holiness in the World, then holiness in Heaven will be awkward to be a part
of.
When we look at what exactly has resulted in the Hole in Our
Holiness, many reasons can be at play. People
often see holiness as being unattainable due to the expectation that holiness
equals 100% perfection. This makes
people fear the failure that can come with not attaining the perfection that
they desire. Also, even if we succeed
and live a holy life, we don’t see that immediate extrinsic reward that we
claim. Our culture is one of instant
gratification and we want that pat on the back, good job, I’m proud of you
affirmation that we’re all looking. Other issues that can lead to the hole are a
lack of passion for our spiritual lives, pure laziness, or a lack of
humility. These are issues that can
stand between us and growing closer to God that we all need to overcome.
In order to overcome the hole, there are simple things to
keep in mind. We must continue to grow
our understanding of the Word. It is the
primary way in which God speaks to us and convenes with us in our daily
life. Also, be aware of the sin issues
in our lives so as to not fall further into sin. This is difficult because it forces us to
admit our own faults and face them head on.
Focus on being obedient to the Lord.
If we’re living up to the standards laid out for us in the Bible, then
we will grow closer to Holiness. Evaluate how you’re spending your time. If you’re focused primarily on reaching for
that brass ring, then that’s where your heart lies. Be resolute in praying to the Lord to
continue to bring about the change in us.
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