Wildcard Wednesday

Wholly Holey Holy

We can picture holey-ness by picturing a sieve or what the men call “that plastic spaghetti thing.” Holiness then is being wholly, or completely, holey, having the ability to continually drain or sift through sin, preserving purity. Holiness has three aspects: our minds, our bodies, and our actions.

Setting our minds [‘heart’ in the Greek, but that was the seat of knowledge, which is the idea we all ‘mind’] on things above will allow us to sift out what the world tries to put in it, the stuff that we used to live in. “But now [we] must rid [our]selves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language…” (Colossians 3:1, 7-8). We must not plug up the holes that allow us to drain away the impurities or we will be surrounded and drowned in them.

Cleansing our body, the temple of God, is another essential aspect of holiness.  Paul says, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people” (Ephesians 5:3). We must let immorality, impurity, and greed slide right through our lives, never giving it a second look. Psalm 1:1-2 says, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the way of the wicked, stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law doth he meditate day and night.” This type of man, or woman, is the kind who will choose not to listen to sinful groups who vie for his/her attention, who filters everything through the sieve of God’s word, determining whether it is beneficial and necessary or harmful and useless.

Acting in accordance with God’s will is the final aspect of holiness. God fills our lives with his blessing, mercy, grace, and abundant life. We are called to be “cut to the heart”  (Acts 2:37) by God’s word, pierced by the Sword of the Spirit in order that we might pour our God’s blessing, mercy, grace, and abundant life on others. We are to be “living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God” (Romans 12:1), yet our cups still “overflow” (Psalm 23:5). That is one of the many amazing things about God, when we pour our lives into other through friendship, service, and love, we have more room for God to pour himself us while we are befriending, serving, and loving.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy, there is none beside Thee
Perfect in power, love, and purity
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name,
In earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!