Oct 31, 2018
God disciplines us for
our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. Heb 12:10
We avoid or delay
discipline when actually it is the tool that grows us stronger and more
righteous.
This is the day many in America (and other countries),
celebrate a strange holiday called “Halloween” (or All Hallow’s Eve). It comes from a pagan tradition about playing
tricks and engaging in indulgences on the night prior to “All Saints Day” (when
people were supposed to be holy). We
turned it into a fun event called “Trick or Treat”, and made it into a festival
as part of the end of harvest.
There’s much that can be said about that celebration, and
most people have an opinion about it. I’m
not going to argue what your family should do about that day, or any holiday,
for that matter. People have the ability
to turn good things into evil, and God has the ability to rescue good things
out of evil. My point in bringing it up
is the word “holiday”. It’s a
conjunction from the two words: Holy and Day.
Holy Days are days we ‘set apart’ for a special
purpose. Easter is a Holy Day, because
we stop our lives and take time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. On July 4th, we celebrate the
freedom and independence our country gained from England. On Christmas, we celebrate the gift of Jesus’
birth to save us. Every Holy Day was
started because of a unique purpose that transcended our own lives. Celebrating them appropriately is the way to
honor that purpose.
Hebrews 12, along with hundreds of other Scriptures, tells
us that God gives us life to set us apart.
He is not interested in us celebrating a few Holy Days throughout the
year, God wants us to be set apart EVERY DAY.
His expectation for us is to BE Holy, just like His Son Jesus. And in fact, God disciplines us for the sake
of developing our Holiness.
That’s an easy concept to understand if you have ever been
disciplined by a parent. Loving parents
correct their kids and call them to be better than their sin nature desires to
be. They take the time to invest in
their kids, so that they can “behave” properly.
That’s what Holiness is all about – Behaving like Jesus, (Having the BE
of Jesus).
Whatever you think about Halloween, consider what God thinks
regarding holiness. Be wise with the
activities you participate in, and avoid those that are un-holy. Train your kids to recognize the
difference.
And as you head into the end of the year, and the annual
Holy Day season, consider how you can celebrate those days in a Holy way. You might actually be surprised by the sense
of joy that comes from celebrating in “holy” ways on the HoliDays!
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