A farmer has learned a pattern that will reap the most benefits each year. The more he does it the more he perfects it. He plows his fields, sows the seed, fertilizes, and cultivates in order to have the best results. Now he is totally dependent on forces outside of himself. He knows he cannot cause the seed to germinate, nor can he produce the rain and sunshine for growing and harvesting the crop. For a successful harvest, he is totally dependent on these things from God.
There is one thing he knows – If he does not diligently pursue his responsibility to plow, plant, fertilize, and cultivate, he cannot expect a good harvest at the end of the season. The farmer cannot do what only God can do, and God will not do what the farmer should do. That is just like the pursuit of holiness. It is a joint venture between God and the Christian. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” It is clear that we will not see God without holiness. I would like to add that no one will experience holiness without God. God is holy and we only attain holiness through Him. It is not something we earn, just like we don’t earn our salvation. God is the main ingredient. We also have a part in attaining it. God makes it possible because if we put forth the effort and do not have God, then holiness is unattainable. He has given us the responsibility of doing the walking; He does not do that for us. Look what Paul says to the believers in Ephesus: 17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:17-24 Did you see it? They are to practice every kind of purity, put off the old self, be renewed, and put on the new. That sounds like effort to me. Yes, Jesus defeated sin on the cross and gave us His Holy Spirit to empower us to live victoriously, but don’t forget that we are responsible to walk in righteousness. God provides us all we need to walk responsibly toward holiness. That is what we refer to as striving for or the pursuit of holiness. As a follower of Jesus Christ, we should never grow tired of the journey of grace we are on. What a privilege to it is to be on this journey together. I want to take this concept and slowly unpack it in the weeks ahead. Make it into bite size portions so we can chew on it together. May God continue to strengthen for the task of this day before you as you get to know Him more and more each day. I am looking forward to a great day on Sunday as we come together and worship the King of kings. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike
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Rev. Mike McClurgSenior Pastor, Findlay First Church of the Nazarene Archives
March 2020
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