The road to Holiness:
- As a Christian, you will always remain on the road to holiness
- The journey is called: sanctification
- ways to not stumble on the road:
- physical exercises–kneeling at your bedside every morning to remind you to bend a knee to His will every day, fasting, etc.
- spiritual exercises–prayer, authentic community: take off your mask with a close friend daily/weekly (confess and share the intimate details of your life), time in God’s word, or as Francisco has said: “When I wake up every morning, Jesus is waiting for me.” (a focus on Jesus throughout the day, and looking for God moments even in the tough times of your day)
PLEASE read Dave’s wonderful comment below (just click on the ‘1 comment’ in yellow in the right hand corner of this post or click on this post title and you will be sent to a page with his comment below).
The Highway of Holiness, which is chapter four of the book, “Calvary Road,” starts with these two sentences: “One of the things that we must learn if we are to live the victorious Christian life is its utter simplicity. How complicated we’ve made it!” How true. Please take a moment and think about the complexity of your life and write your thoughts in your journal. I sometimes wonder what God thinks when He sees what we’ve done to His Word and His message. Some of you know my brother Jake and I started a business centered around our great grandfather’s Polish kielbasa recipe. It has five ingredients; one of our mantras is, “simple is better.” I think it is one of God’s mantras, too.
So, what is the Highway to Holiness paved with? I am sure you know – it is brokenness. Hession says being broken means having no rights before God AND man. That is a tough one for me; the “AND man” part. Hession does a good job of describing that prideful self named David Krolik. He uses words like, hard, unyielding, sensitive, easily hurt, irritable, envious, critical, unrelenting and unforgiving. Boy, I was most of those in just the last 6 hours. Unfortunately, my Highway to Holiness has a roadblock in it; that roadblock is pride. All of those words I wrote are the result of pride. I sometimes wonder, am I doing this or that because I desire to serve God, or is it really for my ego? Do you ever ask yourself that question?
True brokenness means you own nothing; not your time, money, possessions or position. It is all God’s (if one loses a job, a house, a loved one, do they say they lost “their” job, etc., or do they look at it as God’s and He “simply” took it back? There is a lot less worry when you don’t own and control; it is “simply” God’s to do with as He pleases because He knows what is best for us). Some parts of this one are easy for me because I don’t “own” anything – no home, no bank account, no wife, no children, no “position.” The word, “own” is in quotes because I personally would never view a wife or children as possessions but they are there because some do. The part that is difficult for me is the envy that comes when I see others that have those things. I struggle every Wednesday when I have to go enter the walled “city” of Northwood by stopping at the gate and telling a guard I am going to a meeting at the clubhouse. Somehow, it doesn’t seem right. I also ask myself, am I concerned for the people within those walls, or am I envious I don’t live there? I also wonder how many men in that community are barely holding on, not sleeping at night and worried what will happen if people discover the “real” person inside. I wonder how many women and children are happy and carefree. So, today, I signed up and committed to pray for the men, women and children in that community. I hope you signed up, too.
So, how can we get to brokenness and the Highway of Holiness? Through one, very small door. A door so small, you must go through on your hands and knees; you must enter with complete humility. And once, there, brokenness must occur on a daily basis. It doesn’t end with a prayer; it begins with one. Then comes the lifelong journey of seeking redemption by looking at the ultimate example of brokenness – the cross. Can you picture it in your mind right now? Jesus hanging there for me and you? Can you see His pierced hands, feet, chest and crown of thorns? God in the flesh, hanging helplessly, completely broken, so you can live your life in peace (if you so choose). See, when I wrote the word, “simple” before, I did not mean Christianity was easy, I meant it is not complicated. It is very difficult for people like me because our pride must be completely removed to serve Him well. That brings me to my last point; do not travel on the Highway of Holiness alone. Make sure you are in fellowship with a brother or sister of God, and, in relationship with Him. I am blessed to have a group of men that are my brothers; I know I can share anything with them. I wouldn’t trade them for the world. I know when the tough times come, they will be at my side, and I at theirs. I also have mentors to help guide me in the right direction; men I look up to because, believe it or not, I know God speaks to them. I can just tell; God shows me know by letting their love, peace and joy shine through to me.
Have a good Memorial Day. Please take a few minutes and respectively honor in prayer the men and women who have died serving this once great nation of ours. They did their part. Now let’s pray every day with Bucky that God can restore the USA to the country they fought for it to be; one place at a time, starting with the community we live in. Dave