Hungry for Holiness

A dinner invitation made me curious. What would be on this family’s menu? A crisp garden salad drizzled with dressing? Hot buttered rolls? A meaty, cheesy casserole, with red-velvet cake for dessert? I was hungry for this meal.

But I am also hungry for something else: holiness. First Peter 1:16 commands us to be holy. Am I living a holy life? And what, exactly, is holiness? How does one live this out?

After eating dinner at this family’s home, I asked to borrow several of their books on holiness; apparently they, too, were interested in the subject. So not only had they provided me with a delicious dinner of beef stew, biscuits, and chocolate-chip bars, but a spiritual meal that would last much longer than any physical food ever could.

God knows that I need spiritual food, and He is faithfully serving me the perfect menu through His Word, showing me how a holy life can be lived. At one point, though, I became discouraged about the many times I fail. But a comforting thought occurred to me: It is far better to be hungry for holiness than to feel full. After all, if I already felt full, what hope would I have? I know holiness is a journey that will never end on this earth. So I will keep walking, trusting God to feed me the food I need.

Lighthouse

Stripes of red remind me

That blood redeemed my soul. 

 Works could never help me

 Attain and keep that goal.

Fuel and flame, I tend to;

 I wash the window clean.

Works confirm true faith and     

They help His light be seen.

Love compels pure actions;

I want to let His light

Show the lost the way to

Escape eternal night.

Dewfall

On desert days I long for night,

Refreshing air and silver light—

A silent space, to take delight

In heaven’s healing dew.

His dewdrops fall when all is calm—

Reviving rain, a blessed balm.

I’m thirsting for a soothing psalm—

For heaven’s healing dew.