You must yourself strive for holiness if you wish your soul to be bright as the swan. No one else can do this for you.

- The Rule of Comghall (Irish, 6th or 8th century)

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

- 2 Corinthians 7.1

Many of the Celtic Christian leaders of the 4th-8th centuries were conspicuous for their holiness. They worked at it constantly, bringing their bodies into submission through rigorous discipline, self-denial, and long days of spiritual and physical labor.

To be holy is to be set apart, reserved for God and His purposes, and devoted in every aspect of our being to pleasing and reflecting Him. Holiness is not a popular topic among contemporary Christians. It is understood to be important, of course, but how many fellow believers do we know who are truly striving to bring holiness to completion in the fear of God? Are you?

God commands His children to be holy, as He is holy, so that we might know the joy and power of His glory, and the world might see the reality of the risen Christ displayed in all our words and deeds. No one else can accomplish this for us. If we would be holy, we must take up the struggle, we must strive daily.

These old monastic rules contain a good deal of advice. They were especially powerful unto holiness, mission, and works of service because they were embraced by whole communities, whose members strove mightily to aid one another in the pursuit. Pray that such a spirit and desire for communal holiness might arise within the churches of our land. And pray that God might use us to make that happen.

Today in ReVision: The Power of Culture

This Week's Download: Soul Friends

T. M. Moore, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.