Holiness

Holiness...Holy...Ness!

Holy is an ADJECTIVE...(Did you just roll your eyes? C'mon even when Dave Olson went to school they had adjectives)

Ness,  is a NOUN.... (Remember? ...a person, place, or thing!)

Ness gives "quality" to the adjective Holy...thus Holiness...  

An old hymn say, "Take time to be Holy..."  But "holiness" is not something we hear much about.

The greatest attribute of God is His holiness.  He is love, mercy, grace, long-suffering, and more,  but above all He is Holy. 

Soooooooooo ... Just what does God mean when He commands that we “be holy”?

Some Christians have  a "cultural holiness".  They adapt to the character and behavior of those around them.   As the Christian culture around them is more or less holy, so these Christians are more or less holy. 

But God has not called us to be like those around us.     He has called us to be like himself!

Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God.

“As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is

Written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’” 1 Peter 1:15-16

 ....OK class is over, maybe... Or, is class really just begininng....

I'm just sayin'.

See You Tonight

- Kelly

Keep hungry

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple… My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’  Your face, Lord, I will seek”  (Psalm 27:4, 8). Jesus asks us: “What do you want?” (John 1:38). You have a hungry heart, but where are you taking it? There are many things we may want… If only we would respond with the enthusiasm that crowds did in his day — screaming out His name, pushing through crowds to touch Him, jumping out of trees to follow Him, tearing the roofs off houses just to sit at the feet of Jesus!!! If only we would bring our hungry hearts to Jesus. If only we would long for God like David and the Psalmists, Paul and John, if only we would learn to be alone with our Abba father in prayer. I believe that living our lives dedicated and committed to Jesus Christ as the “one thing” we want... Is the best life!  Sure, discipline is required and there are trials to face. But Jesus is the source of living water. When we give up all to love Him we discover over time that our other problems fade away. Jesus said in John 7:37,  “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink." I'm just sayin'...do you need a cup? See You Tonight -Kelly

The Solid Rock

My hope is built on nothing less than Scoffield's notes and Scripture Press....wait, that's not quite how the song goes. But they are familiar words, aren't they? Then..."on Christ the solid rock I stand."  It's about having the confidence to weather the storm. Just like real storms, life storms require us to act, not just react. Here are 3...count them... 3 ways we can praise God in any storm of life: 1. Prepare by having a strong foundation. The book of James says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.“ When you meet trials. It is going to happen. Trials will come. Prepare yourself for these by building your foundation on Christ and His word.   Praise God for equipping you to enter a storm! 2. Take shelter with godly company. In the midst of trials you should surround yourself with people of God who will first and foremost pray for and you.  They can speak truth to you when your heart betrays you and your weatherproofing GETS SOGGY!  When your foundation feels like it is cracking and failing you, true Christian fellowship is the glue that will hold you together.  “You are safer with God in the middle of a storm, than you are anywhere else without Him.” Praise God for bringing people in to your life who offer you love and support – you don't have to weather a storm alone! 3. Anticipate the sunshine, every storm has an end. Storms won't last forever, but in the midst of trials, having hope can seem impossible at the least and improbable at the most. If all you're left with is broken pieces, have hope because God WILL take the broken pieces and turns them into something beautiful.   God doesn't always calm the storms, sometimes he calms us.  .Praise God that when all is stripped away you still have Him! “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) We are having a great time...but missing you all. See you on Sunday...and as always I'm Just Sayin'. -Kelly (and Brenda too!)