Saintliness and Holiness
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
If anyone should wonder what I mean by godliness, saintliness, holiness, I'll explain. I mean a life and a heart marked by meekness and humility. The godly soul will not boast nor show off. I mean reverence. The godly man will never take part in any religious exercise that shows disrespect for the Deity. The cozy, cute terms now applied to God and Christ will never pass his lips. He will never join in singing religious songs that are light, humorous or irreverent. He will cultivate a spirit of complete sincerity and discuss God and religion only in grave and reverent tones.
Further, I mean separation from the world unto God in an all-out, irrevocable committal. The holy man will not envy the world, nor will he imitate it or seek its approval. His testimony will be, "I am crucified unto the world and the world unto me." He will not depend upon it for his enjoyments, but will look above and within for the joy that is unspeakable and full of glory.
In short, any true work of God in the churches will result in an intensified spirit of worship and an elevated appreciation of the basic Christian virtues.... It will make men Christlike, will free them from a thousand carnal sins they did not even know were sins before. It will free them from earthly entanglements and focus their whole attention upon things above. PON092-093
Lord, help me live a life of virtue, forsaking all else, so I can experience freedom and communion with You. Amen.
A. W. Tozer, Tozer on the Almighty God: A 366-Day Devotional, (Camp Hill, PA: Wingspread, 2007), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 299-300.
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I am the Pastor of Greater Life Church, Elko, NV. Husband, father, grandfather, regular guy who happens to believe that Jesus has great plans for all of our lives and we need cooperate with Him in order to see those plans happen.