From the Heart of the Pastor

​One of the most clear and straightforward statements in all of the Bible is, “You shall be holy, because I am holy,” (I Peter 1:16).  God’s standard is clear.  He desires holiness in our lives.  Achieving personal holiness is one of the most difficult parts of the Christian life.  Actually, it is impossible.  We cannot achieve personal holiness, it is only the Holy Spirit within us that can make us holy.
          What is holiness?  That may be the question asked by even the mature Christian.  What exactly does God desire of my life?  The beautiful truth is that God is constantly molding us and shaping us into conformity with Jesus Christ.  I think the Old Testament prophet Micah grasps the concept of holiness.  He says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God,” Micah 6:8.  God desires justice and kindness and humility of a brand different than the world offers.  He desires these attributes to rise purely out of our love for Christ and his Spirit indwelling us.
          It is often easy to have the appearance of holiness, without being holy.  All of us can work hard enough at “looking holy” to have many people believe we are, but true holiness comes in our private lives.  God demands holiness in the secret rooms of our lives that no one sees.  Many of us have areas in our lives that we desire to keep hidden.  We even try to trick ourselves into believing they are hidden from God.  God desires to make us holy and cleanse those dark closets of sin.  Oak Crest, would we be willing to open our lives and our hearts to allow God to do an amazing transforming work of holiness?
 
In Christ,
Blain Craig