Brother Jon

Holiness Is Not An Option Brother Jon

I was at my son's house around Christmastime last year and was given a gift. I opened the gift when they gave it to me and saw they had purchased a nice twelve-cup coffee maker-an upgrade from my old five-cupper. When I got home I put it up on a shelf in the back of the closet and continued using my old coffeemaker. As time passed I forgot about it. Then a couple of weeks ago I was running out of filters for my smaller machine and when I went to buy more all I could find were for twelve-cup machines. Then it came to my mind that I own one! When I got home I threw my old one out and dug in the closet and got out my new coffee maker. I texted my son that I was finally unboxing the Christmas gift. He texted back and said, "It's Christmas in July!" That is the way it is with holiness. We receive the gift of being able to walk in holiness, and thus please God, but too many of us don't get around to unboxing it. Brothers and sisters, it's July already! We need to have a "Christmas in July" in our spiritual lives. It is time we unpackaged our gift and made daily use of it. Jesus said we are to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). That is to say, we are to be holy.