John Murray wrote in his book Principles of Conduct, “And the import is that the holiness of God demands holiness on the part of those who enter into such a covenant relation with Him.” Therefore, any desire to see or know the Lord must be accompanied by the wiliness to be holy. John Murray further states, “The holiness which is demanded by the covenant fellowship is expressed concretely in obedience to the divine commandments.”

As youngsters, my brother and I visited an uncle serving as an army colonel at Fort Huachucha, Arizona. One evening, we had dinner at the Rancho Grande Hotel in Nogales where Gordon McCrae and Shirley Jones were staying. They were starring in “Oklahoma,” which was filmed in Arizona because Arizona was more like what Oklahoma used to be –- so we were told! We were thrilled to see these and other movie stars close-up.

While having a malt at a sidewalk café in Denver one evening last summer with my brother and his family, a couple of movie stars with roles in Dynasty (a TV soap opera) came and sat down at a table next to us. My niece and nephew were quick to recognize them. This time I didn’t! I’m not an evening soap fan. Years later, a younger generation is just as thrilled at seeing the stars.

It is a natural human desire to want to see someone we love or someone famous or powerful. Does this normal desire manifest itself in our Christian lives? Does it go beyond wanting to see some famous Christian preacher or writer? How many of us desire to see God? Even if a few of us were able to admit that we desire to see Him (Many of us aren’t ready to pass through death’s dark veil or do not feel spiritually prepared yet.), there remains a foreboding warning, “. . . without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12: 24)

Proximity and opportunity may enable us to see a great or famous person. However, as John Murray wrote in his book Principles of Conduct, “And the import is that the holiness of God demands holiness on the part of those who enter into such a covenant relation with Him.” Therefore, any desire to see or know the Lord must be accompanied by the wiliness to be holy. John Murray further states, “The holiness which is demanded by the covenant fellowship is expressed concretely in obedience to the divine commandments.”

While living in today’s materialistic, hedonistic, and humanistic culture, both the idea of holiness and obedience to God’s commandments appear outmoded, antiquated and passé. Some consider “walking in the light” as “living in the dark ages.” In days gone by, many who sought to be holy isolated themselves from the surrounding culture by withdrawing from society altogether. Others formed communities and cloistered themselves off from the world. Some withdrew to an isolated spot and became hermits. But God’s demand for holiness and obedience was meant to be practiced in the midst of life, not outside of it—and for the sake of the world, not in spite of it. One wonderful and awesome fact for which we should be grateful is that the standard remains constant and the same for all peoples and all ages. This should comfort us as and if we pursue holiness.

Are we giving God priority in our lives, maintaining Him as our one and only God and overcoming any competition for first place in our lives with things or people? He expected this of all people from the very beginning. Even success should not be our number one pursuit. Is it difficult to keep the Lord’s Day holy? In some societies, Sunday is a common workday, yet believers there strive to keep the commandment. Is it difficult to lead pure, moral lives? It never was easy; yet the commandment has remained the same. Are we uneasy or frustrated with what we have, wanting more? It is no easier for believers in the Third World to be content with their pittance in life.

This is a time for renewal for us. Let’s pray A Disciple’s Renewal prayer which has been handed down to us from the Puritans:

O MY SAVIOR,
help me.
I am so slow to learn, so prone to forget, so weak to climb.
I am in the foothills when I should be on the heights:
I am pained by my graceless heart,
my prayerless days,
my poverty of love,
my sloth in the heavenly race,
my sullied conscience,
my wasted hours,
my unspent opportunities.
Give me increase and progress in grace so that there may be
more decision in my character,
more vigor in my purposes,
more elevation in my life,
more fervor in my devotion,
more constance in my zeal.
As I have a position in the world,
Keep me from making the world my position.
May I never seek in the creature
what can be found only in the Creator.
We desire to see the Lord—
Holy, Holy, Holy – Amen.

Helen Louise Herndon is a member of Central Presbyterian Church (EPC) in St. Louis, Missouri. She is freelance writer and served as a missionary to the Arab/Muslim world in France and North Africa.