Thursday, July 9, 2015

The Quest for Holiness

Everyone today is on a quest for something greater, a purpose, or a plan to achieve what they believe to be the ideal for their circumstance. Everyone. But who determines what is ideal or better? Psalm 112 gives great insight into the what happens when the believer seeks the best by God's standard. Psalm 112:1 begins with the psalmist rejoicing in the facts of God's character. We find that the person that is "blessed" by the Lord shows himself to be in active pursuit of of wisdom through a reverent fear of God and by delighting in His commands (Psalm 1:2). 

Of even more substance to the believer is the knowledge that there are blessings to be found in adversity (Psalm 112:4). Here, "darkness" is a metaphor for adversity implying that "even in darkness [the] light [of the Lord] dawns on the upright." This person is gracious and compassionate, seeking to relieve the suffering of others. And it plays out in practical ways in v. 5 with the believer giving freely without expectation of interest on a loan, simply believing it just to help others in need (Psalm 111:5). 

These blessings that come in adversity carry the believer through the hardest of times. Because the wise man holds to the precepts of God that are "steadfast forever and ever (Psalm 111:8), he is "steadfast" (v.7) "He will never be shaken" (v.6), "he will have no fear," "his heart is steadfast" and "his heart is secure." We can expect that we may experience any number of surprises in life, but for the believer will persevere in doing good. He does not waver and is not easily tossed about, but he "perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him." (James 1:12) That means that no matter if he receives "bad news" and has reason to "fear" or has problems with his adversaries (Psalm 112:7-8), His trust is in the Lord, so he can stand.   

Doing the will of God is motivated by a desire to be like God. The word godliness stems from the idea of God-like-ness. If the believer would seek to do the will of God, it must be motivated by a desire to be like God. Jesus said in John 14:23 that if we truly love Him, we will obey His commands. So to delight in His commands (Psalm 112:1) presupposes a grateful and generous heart. (James 2:14-20) 

      C.S. Lewis beautifully said in The Great Divorce, “ Only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says in the end “Thy will be done.” If we would seek a quest for greatness and purpose, we must first seek to humble ourselves and obey the will of our Heavenly Father, even though doing so will often take us completely counter to the surrounding culture. 

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