Holiness on a Stick
By Garold Andersen
Week of October 10, 2004
"...the severe treatment of yourself and your body might look spiritual,
but in the end it does nothing against your self-centered nature." (Colossians 2:23)
History tells us that at the end of the 6th century, the desert regions around Antioch were silhouetted with Christians sitting on top of columns. What were they doing up there? They were trying to be holy. The world represented temptation and worldliness. They reasoned that severe treatment of their bodies and physical separation from the world would make them holy.
Today, this probably sounds absurd to most people. Yet here we are in the 21st century and we aren't doing much better. At the heart of much Christian teaching remains this idea that separation from the world is godly.
Many Christians are working overtime to create an entire Christian culture separate from the world and its people. This may have the appearance of godliness, but is the opposite of what God really wants. Many still think that religious things are of God and that physical (earthly) things are not. This couldn't be further from the Bible's perspective.
Take for example, a nice, big chocolate pie. Thank God for chocolate pie! It's a good thing. That's what God said when He created this world: “It’s good.” However, if you sat down and ate that whole pie all by yourself, you would be acting selfishly. Your actions would be bad, not the pie. The things of this world are not evil; the self-centered spirit of this world is. Separating yourself from the pie won’t confront the problem at all.
Jesus said that we are to be in the world but not of it. If we are not to be “of the world” then what are we to be of? Him. Be in Him, be of Him, be filled with His spirit. He isn’t asking us to remove ourselves from the world to show how much He hates it; rather He wants us to use the things of this world to demonstrate His love for all people.
Separation from the world only looks spiritual. God wants real changes in our lives. He wants a change of heart. These changes don't come from self-inflicted punishment of the body, the soul, or the mind. These often-difficult changes come from obeying the simple commands of Christ. So climb down from any “separatist” column you have erected in your mind and get ‘in’ there.
Be of His Spirit, obey His commands, and it will slowly change your heart.
This Week
Look for an opportunity to insert the Holy Spirit into someone’s life by meeting him or her where they live, on his or her level. Ask the Lord to show you how to relate to those who need Him the most.
Prayer
“Lord, please open our hearts and minds to opportunities we can use to demonstrate your life and love to others—especially those who are nonbelievers or who have gone astray.”
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