Striving for Holiness

At Mountain View, we talk a lot about personal holiness... of becoming men and women who love the Lord and strive to be more like Christ. This is great, but one of the dangers we need to be careful about is that some of the more zealous among us (like me!) tend to overdo it. Here's what I mean-- the desire at times to grow abnormally quick. Wanting to progress to maturity in record timing. This desire is not necessarily bad, we just need to realize that holiness most often is a gentle and consistent progress.

It's easy to get fired-up to holiness when we hear a great sermon from Pastor Jason or Pastor Kevin... just like when we see the dramatic heart-wrenching stories on T.V. that accompany the annual coverage of the renown Ironman Triathlon. It almost makes us want to get out there and compete in our own triathlon (almost). In regards to the Christian life, we must realize that holiness is not something obtained just between Tuesday and Wednesday, but rather it is the fruit of a live lived consistently and thoughtfully over the course of time. Don't get me wrong, it is always good to strive for great things, but at the same time we are far better off in keeping constant and steady vigilance in the small things... rather than trying to prove heroic in the big things. The encouraging fact is that we don't have to accomplish amazing feats in order to be different and set-apart for Christ, we just have to be faithful in the small areas. I know in my own life, I must remember to not "over do it" by striving for instant change. This just leads to ongoing discouragement by my failure to change overnight.

The "heroic plan" of holiness motivates us to try to battle the big foes of the enemy, but can sometimes overlook the more subtle temptations. In his book, Introduction to a Devout Life, de Sales says,

"... Wherefore I say, that being ever ready to fight courageously against great temptations, we must in the meantime diligently defend ourselves against those that seem small and inconsiderable."

We should remember that we have an enemy who is willing to surrender the yards lost during great measures in order to gain miles won when we return to soft living (Gary Thomas). Basically, one day of fasting and prayer cannot overcome six days of Christless living. These truths shouldn't discourage us from trying to pursue Christ and live lives of holiness, it should motivate us to stay consistent in the small areas of our lives. Improving even in just little areas will not only protect us from falling into greater sin, it will give us opportunities for God to use us in amazing ways!

~AF