The World is Watching!
This is an Olympic year and I am absolutely beside myself! I love both seasons of the Games, but the summer events are by far my favorite. The competitions are phenomenal, but the backstories of the athletes – and what they had to endure to get to The Games – adds greater significance to their efforts. These finely tuned contenders have spent years making disciplined decisions to compete on a world stage for a medal of honor, which indicates that they have excelled all others.
I find interesting parallels between the decisions of these amazing athletes and the Christians who strive to live holy in a tainted world. These potential Olympic champions basically had to segregate themselves from behaviors, activities and people that would counter their efforts toward achieving competitive excellence in their sport. As children of God and partakers of the Divine nature, we are also called to separate ourselves from behaviors, activities and people that would counter our efforts toward achieving moral excellence or holiness in our Christian walk. The application of this separation by choice is called sanctification, and it is only expected of one type of person: a child of God.
We are called to be holy because our Heavenly Father is holy. Let me state it again, holiness is a choice—your choice and God provides you with the grace and help of the Holy Spirit to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. People of God, those who carry His divine nature, are expected to make life decisions that will promote them toward living at a Higher Level of existence on a world stage.
Many often attack holiness as too restrictive or unrealistic in today’s times. The truth is that making these morally oriented life adjustments will elevate the believer to exist the way that God desires. Just like the elite athletes at the Olympic games, the world is watching The Church of Jesus Christ to see if she can rise to the preeminence that is expected of her. This ascent can only happen in one way: Holiness.
LaTonya Rodgers
Associate Pastor
