ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (MAY 03, 2012)

Hungering for Holiness

Matthew 5:1-6


"To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ - their Lord and ours..."
(1 CORINTHIANS 1:2)

In his book The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges calls attention to this verse and writes, "We are through Christ made holy (sanctified) in our standing before God, and called to be holy in our daily lives." He asks readers to survey themselves and see if there is a yearning in their hearts to live a life pleasing to God. The desire for holiness may not consciously be present at the time we come to Christ, but the Holy Spirit will help that desire grow in us. The more we see Jesus and His holiness, the more we long to be like Him.

I find those thoughts to be challenging. How glad I am to know that I do have a hunger for holiness in my heart! But I am happier still to know that my Savior has lived the holy life for me that even the deepest longings of my heart could not produce. I may try and try to reach the level of purity He has called me to; most likely I will fail and fail. But I can rest in the fact that, as Paul says, I have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, not in myself!


INSIGHT
"FATHER THANK YOU FOR PLACING WITHIN ME A GENUINE HUNGER FOR HOLINESS. MAY MY LIFE BE PLEASING TO YOU IN EVERY RESPECT."

READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
2 Kings 3-4
Proverbs 12
James 2-3

Matthew 5:1-6
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
The Beatitudes
5 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.


REVELATION THROUGH THE JESUS LENS

What is the book of Revelation all about? Some have strong opinions, but others are not sure. If we look at the final book of the Bible through the Jesus lens, we will see the answer more clearly.