On Being Holy and Not Overly So

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (II Corinthians 5:17).

Confession time. At various moments, this week included, the concept of being a "new creation" has not sunk in. Knowing the commandment to "be holy as [God is] holy" (Leviticus 11: 44,45; 19:2; 20:7; I Peter 1:16) to be serious and essential for the servant of God, I try and sometimes fail as a servant and child of God to be as His. Reading this week in Ecclesiastes during one of my lunch breaks, I stumbled across these words: "Do not be overly righteous, nor overly wise: why should you destroy yourself" (7:16)? Those are comlplex words. I was thinking, don't be good? But I have always been taught that the way of righteousness is better than the way of wickedness, I thought. And that is true. Lately, though, learning that grace is something none deserve, but receive freely as a gift, I have witnessed my quirky, desparate, atempts at being righteous. Ironically, the thought that none are righteous apart from the righteousness of Christ did not nourish my intentions.

Blessed be God and His ways, in that He still sustains me at work (everything is work for me these days it seems, which is quite the contrast from the childhood I have put behind me). The wisdom in the proverb to not be "overly righteous, not overly wise" is in line with the wisdom and commandment to be holy as God is holy. Because we should be holy as He is holy, we are not to be as holy as we might be if we really were God. The illusion of man's supremacy, or the ideal that man is progressing--a product of Humanism--and therefore getting better by our own accord, is a faulty one. Even as a Christian, I wander into that camp, or a variation of it.

A variation of the before mentioned which Christians are more likely to fall into would be the kind in need of admonishment of Eccesiastes 7:16. Much pain and failure and disapointment fall upon us with a horde of the devil's forces, who take much perverse glee from seeing us eat of the works of the flesh. When we wrap ourselves up tightly within the good intentions of charity, of service, of model living, the reality that we are still sinners has not been changed; and when we are reminded of this fact, and when we have set up camp back in bondage of works, our dream has been shattered. But the joy of the Lord is our strength. God told Abraham, "I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward" (Genesis 15: 1). How fulfilling His reward is! It is so vast, so complete, and so endless!

Our world now extends only so far, and our planet circles a star in a galaxy which has boundaries, in a gigantic universe of star systems and planets and other wonders within boundaries which may seem infinite but stop short of it. Nature and all that is in it will melt with a fervant heat in the Day of the Lord. The history of man will change from what it is now into a time when all of man's deeds and acts and feats will be known as bygone days. "Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (II Peter 3:13). That puts everything back into perspective.

It Is Well

Work continues at Tire Distribution Systems. But what else will God do in the times to come? O such glorious things! Vast and perfectly designed. I hope to record more in this blog in the times to come. If anyone reads this, please pray and do the will of our Savior Christ Jesus and pray that I would do so as well. I need to be more disciplined and steadfast in the plan and purpose of the Almighty God.

May His name preceed me.
May YAh, the LORD, be above me.
Amen.