Holiness is Hard

Anyone who said that being a Christian is easy has not been a Christian for very long. It is not as if all of our past ways suddenly disappeared when we first accepted Jesus into our hearts. It is not as if we now have no impulses to sin or are able to live a pure life each day in the absence of any wrong doing. As it says in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

However, God does want us to be holy, each and every day of our lives. Peter reminds us that “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”” (1 Peter 1:14-16) But holiness is hard.

How often throughout the day would we say that we mess up and sin? Remember that sinning is doing anything that is contrary to the will and desires of God. The true answer is that we all probably sin more than we realize. But the practicing Christian realizes this fact (as does God) and repents each sin with the promise and conviction of doing better. We stumble throughout the day, yet Jesus is right there beside us with His outstretched hand, ready to help us back to our feet.

We are reminded in Psalm 37:24 that “Though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” We stumble, but our faith in Jesus helps us to get back up. We sin but our understanding of God’s love and the presence of the Holy Spirit strengthens us to immediately correct ourselves, ask forgiveness, and keep striving to live a holy life.

Why do we do this? Why do we commit each day to living a holy life, knowing that we’ll mess up somewhere along the way. The answer is simple. It’s all because of Jesus. As we are told in 1 Peter 1:8-9, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to change us and sanctify us so that we may live a holy life. One that will be pleasing to our Lord Jesus.

God understands that none of us can reach the level of holiness that He has. But God does want us to acknowledge our failings and strive each day to live a life that is holier than the day before. The Lord understands that the life of a Christian is a life of evolution. It is a life of change and a life of sanctification. It is our journey that God is most interested in because He already knows our final destination.