Imagine God in His
radiant glory, so bright from goodness and love that we, in our corruptible
flesh, cannot look upon Him. What kind of love is so brilliant and overwhelming?
We cannot fully fathom God’s Holiness, just as we cannot fully fathom the depth
of His love. Yet, God called us to
Holiness. In Leviticus 20:26, God declared to the Israelites, “You shall be holy to me; for I the Lord
am holy, and I have separated you from the other peoples to be mine.” In 1 Peter 1:15-17, Christians are also called to
be Holy. “But as he which hath called you
is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be
ye holy; for I am holy.” We are to separate ourselves from all sin. We are
to always love God and love others. Christ tells us to “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
To love perfectly, we must be able to deny ourselves and let go of our egos and
selfish desires. We must become humble and meek. We must take up our crosses
and endure the suffering denial causes us, sacrificing our self-centeredness. With
Christ at our side and the Holy Spirit within us, we are able to endure the
trials and tribulations of this life. We follow Christ’s example. When we do,
we experience true freedom, freedom to love selflessly. We are loosed from the
bondage of sin, and we discover the joy of giving, the joy of divine love.
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3). God is
thrice Holy to emphasize His infinite Holiness and because He is a triune God: the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He is three, yet one in essence. The
whole earth is filled with His glory because His creation, everything we see
and experience with our senses, is a result of God’s divine love. We should stop and appreciate the
amazing beauty, complexity, and awe-inspiring world God made for us. We should
be thankful for the sparkling stars, the clouds interspersed with brilliant color,
resplendent mountains, and the life-giving oceans, rivers and lakes. We should
care for the variety of vegetation, flora and magnificent creatures, all living
in a delicate balance, blessed by God. All in our world is interconnected and
dependent on one another. We human beings are also interconnected and dependent
on one another. It is God’s love that holds it all together. We do not always
take the time to appreciate the splendor of God’s glory in creation, but when
we do, we are able to experience God’s love and Holiness.
God is also Holy because
He is different from us. God is Spirit. We are flesh. However, if we have faith
in Christ and love God, He sends His Holy Spirit to live within us. That part
of us is Holy. Yet, we do not fully understand the depth of the love God has
placed within us. We do not comprehend the Holiness inside of us. This is
because our flesh wars against our spirit. We become conflicted, when we are
faced with temptation. We can access that part of us, the love inside of us,
through the Holy Spirit. This is why Christ could proclaim, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly
Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). When we choose to live in the Holy Spirit
and to walk with Him daily, we are setting ourselves apart from sin. We choose
to deny ourselves, and instead, we choose to act in love. During those moments,
when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are able experience God’s Holiness.
We are able to experience God’s divine love.
© 2017 Helen Kamenos All rights reserved
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