The Anatomy of Holiness

Kevin Deyoung's new book on holiness contains a helpful (Biblical) metaphor about what holiness looks like for the different parts of our body:

• The mind is filled with the knowledge of God and fixed on what is good.
• The eyes turn away from sensuality and shudder at the sight of evil.
• The mouth tells the truth and refuses to gossip, slander, or speak what is coarse or obscene.
• The spirit is earnest, steadfast, and gentle.
• The heart is full of joy instead of hopelessness, patience instead of irritability, kindness instead of anger, humility instead of pride, and thankfulness instead of envy.
• The sexual organs are pure, being reserved for the privacy of marriage between one man and one woman.
• The feet move toward the lowly and away from senseless conflict, divisions, and wild parties. 
• The hands are quick to help those in need and ready to fold in prayer.

Purchased Sanctification

I desperately want to become what Jesus died to enable me to be.

Jesus died so that I would:
-abound in love for God and others
-be forgiving
-be radically God-focused
-be devoted to prayer
-be kind
-love the Scriptures
-serve His church
-share the gospel with clarity and boldness
-love my wife and kids
-be joyful in suffering
-consider others better than myself
-be involved in the completion of the Great Commission
-be pure in heart
-be humble

Jesus purchased my sanctification.

Thank God for Measured Maturity

I was reminded last night of how kind God has been to me over the past few years. God has brought a noticeable amount of sanctification into my life for His glory.

My wife keeps a box of old notes, cards, and letters that people have written to her. She has just about everything I have ever written to her in there. So, we were flipping through some of it before bed last night. I came across an undated letter that I had written to her sometime in the first 2 years of our marriage. It was basically an attempt to bring to her attention some of the things that I thought needed to change. The letter drips with legalism. Among other things, I was upset that she had gone out of town for a few days and didn't bring her Scripture memory verse pack with her.

In God's kindness, we were able to have a good laugh at my foolishness. Legalism should be mocked. It was a great opportunity to cultivate humility by laughing at myself.

Is it a good thing to memorize Scripture? Absolutely. Should we confront others who refuse to take the time to hide God's Word in their heart? Lovingly. However, I had a wife who was memorizing hundreds of verses a year and I was concerned that she was slacking off because she didn't bring her memory verse pack with her.

8 years of reviewing the gospel has helped. I have a long way to go. There are still pockets of legalism in my heart. His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood availed for me!

Friends, don't forget your verse packs today!