I have been thinking a lot about perspective. When you are flying the clouds look different from above than they do from beneath. When you take your car in for service, it looks different from the bottom than it does from the top. Parents and children have different perspectives on lots of things, like taking medicine, eating healthy foods, and sleep schedules. An animal being penned up at the Veterinarian for treatment, may not appreciate the good intentions of its owner and rebel. I wonder if that is how it is with us and God when it comes to holiness. What if we see holiness as a fence that prohibits our full freedom while God sees holiness as protection and helping us fulfill His will in our lives? What if we feel imprisoned when God intends us to feel fully free-free to do what we were put on earth to do? What if we feel that life is limiting but God sees that we are empowered to do what really brings us fulfillment?
In 1 Peter, he describes God’s work in our lives. He describes our rebirth which gives us an eternal inheritance that reserves our place in Heaven and shields us from God judgment. He also talks about how God is protecting us, in good times and the bad, so that our faith might reach its ultimate goal. God then puts us in a place where we can learn what it means to live a life of righteousness and refuse evil desires. The work of God in our lives to set us apart provides protection from the temptations and difficulties that would distract us. Sadly, we human beings do not always appreciate the help. We want to run free; we want to make our own choices with no protective barriers. We think the abundant life is about full exposure to all life has to offer.
One of the most beautiful pictures of holiness in all of Scripture is Psalm 23. Read it again from a “holiness” perspective. This psalm is about the provision and protection of God, the Good Shepherd. From His perspective, holiness is a wonderful blessing He graciously blesses His people with.
– by Graham Clifford
