DAY 7

The Weight of Holiness

Everyday we are pulled in all directions to worship foreign gods. We are locked in spiritual battle as we “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in the high places.” (Ephesians 6:12). In the modern age the adversary has tricked us into believing that foreign gods are not real because if we do not believe in these principalities then we become blind to the loyal service we give them, and we’ll call that servitude freedom – as Goethe said, “The best slave is the one who thinks he is free.”

Our hyper sexualized culture constantly pulls us to worship Venus the goddess of beauty, desire and sex. In a capitalist culture of avarice and hustle we become worshippers of Mammon. We’ve exchanged “thy will be done” for “do as thou wilt”. Indeed, there is grace - Christ saved us, He died for our sins, conquered death and built a bridge for us. But it’s important not use grace as an excuse to let our passions rule over us. The Christian way is not a way of self-indulgence and carelessness but a way of self-abnegation and vigilance. St. Peter calls us to “Be sober and vigilant; because the adversary, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). This year I wish to tap in to the holiness and seriousness of our faith. To deny myself, take up my cross and follow Christ. 

What does this self-denial look like? It’s as St. Peter says, to “abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against our soul.” (1 Peter 2:11) Scripture can be warm and consoling but it is also demanding and austere. Our loyalty to Christ is either of paramount importance or of no importance. As a Christian I believe it to be of paramount importance. So, for 2024 I want to do a Paul asks of us “to present our bodies as holy sacrifice as our reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). We are to die to the old man and be born anew. This is a high demand, but thankfully with Christ we have been crucified, no longer do we live but Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20). Our Lord lives in us through the Holy Spirit and the Spirit emboldens us, strengthens us, and makes us resolute. “For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can walk the narrow path with virtue, resoluteness, and wisdom.

In the book of Daniel, King Belshazzar hosts a feast and he uses the vessels of the temples in Jerusalem to drink wine and to celebrate and praise foreign gods. During the feast a hand appears and writes a message on the wall. MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN “Thou art weighed in the balances and found wanting.” (Daniel 5:27). Some of the most solemn words in all the Bible - King Belshazzar was dead before dawn. When we stand before God, we cannot say that virtue was not convenient or that it was easier to give in to our passions. This won’t suffice. We must understand the weight of holiness, lest we’re weighed in His balances and are found wanting.