Holiness! By Pastor Tony Kim

 

HOLINESS

By Pastor Tony Kim

 

John 5:44 “How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?”

Have you ever asked yourself the tough questions? Like what I do, do I really do what I do  just because I want to? Or to bring God glory. Or how about, “Just how well do I know God?” I am not talking about facts about God but about as in a personal relationship with God. Here’s another, “How do I identify with God?” For a few years after I was saved, these questions constantly harassed me. I tried to ward them off because I was a Christian, I mean, I said the right things, did what I was told, but if the truth be known, I was more concerned about people accepting me for what I did, I never gave much concern about God accepting me. After all, isn’t that what He’s supposed to do?

It always amazes me how many teachers and preachers will tell you, you need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, yet when you start experiencing one, they criticize the one you claim to have. So I figured out they knew the right things to say, all of the facts, but in fact lacked the very personal relationship with Christ they inspired you to have. They have sought honor from men, you know, Doctor this and that, the wisdom of man tempered with just enough scripture to sound religious. But how can they seek the honor of God if they don’t know Him personally, intimately. How can you give God the glory in your life when your life is more about you than Him?

Here’s something I want you to see. HOLINESS ONLY COMES FROM SEEKING GOD’S GLORY! If our hunger for Him is not greater than our hunger for ourself then holiness is impossible. As long as we seek glory from others rather than God we will never find it, much  less see His glory and it is in the presence of His glory we are being made holy.

Talk about instability, the praises of men are the most unstable of all. Look at John 7:18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

Look at that last part of the verse. “But he that seeketh his glory (meaning God’s), the same is true.” The same quality of heart that made Christ’s intentions true must become our standard also. Only to the degree that we are seeking God’s glory can our motivations really be true.

So I decided that the right thing to do was to seek God’s glory and found out in doing so He washes me from seeking man’s glory. When we truly find ourselves in the presence of God’s glory, no one has to convince us to be holy. What could possibly be more important than to be in the presence of God’s glory? Jeremiah 29:13 “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Well, there it is your pathway to a life of holiness.