Holiness
My bride, Alisa, is one of the teachers at Norkenzie's Women's Retreat this weekend. In the past few weeks she and I talked about what God was leading her in as she prepared to speak into the theme "Sanctuary." What does it mean to be the people of God? What does it mean to be the Temple of the Holy Spirit!?
Personal holiness. We do not take our sin too seriously, she thought, because the vast majority of the time we do not experience any consequences.
There are consequences, of course... but we do not experience them in the moment or to any degree that keeps us from sinning. We like the sin. If we didn't like the sin, it wouldn't be tempting. I think we give in to temptation to try and fill some whole in our heart... some longing... some pain. Sin can powerfully medicate us and we not only do we not feel the consequences anytime soon, but the 'thing' we're struggling with can be forgotten or dulled. Yep, sin is an addiction. We're all addicts.
Personal holiness does not mean we are perfect, but I think it does mean that we run to Jesus and receive from Him what only He can provide. I think it does mean feeling the angst, the pain, the sorrow and refusing to medicate it in any way, shape or form - except through the Comforter that Jesus sent to live with us. He can turn our sorrow to joy and He will. But we need to run to Christ and nothing else.
We are, after all, His Temple. His Sanctuary.
I read this somewhere recently: "Joy is the by-product of obedience." We all want joy. Temptation offers a way to experience joy, but it over-promises and under-delivers! As we yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit, our obedience will produce joy in us. That's cool. It's Organic Spiritual Medication - no fabricated pharmaceuticals here!
I wonder how it went for Alisa this morning.
