"A Petal-less Church"

A church without holiness is like a flower without petals.

            It is a living, growing, organism which has been denuded of its crown.

            It very well may be alive and able to produce, but its splendor has been removed.

                        The velvet petals of the rose are God’s blessing to life’s thorns.

The golden display of holiness is the chalice for the wine of honor.

The holy and the perianth compose the songs for which they have been formed.

Without either, the Church and the flower are bald, bland, and colorless.

To one was given a diadem – the very radiance of Christ’s righteousness.

To the other, a headdress was given – the color pallet of God’s imagination.

To the flower, what good is life, if there is no majesty for the Living?

To the church, you may cease to exist, if the glory of your calling has been revoked.

A church without holiness is like a flower without petals.

It is my prayer that the above imagery highlights the importance of holiness. Individually or corporately, we can make a difference in our world. I propose, though, that a "radicle" holiness will enable us to speak louder and act more effectively for the glory of our Savior. (Lev. 11:44-45; Lev. 20:26; Matt. 5:6; Matt. 6:33; Gal. 5:22-24; Eph. 1:4; 5:1-2; 1 Peter 1:15-16).

         

- Dusty

"A True Jewel"

{Phil. 3:16}

            If a jewel is dropped into the dirt, it is still a jewel. Its circumstances do not change what it is. The soil, the depth, the lowly components found therein, none of these things undermine the integrity
or nature of the jewel. Not even the amount of time it has spent hidden in the confines of its earthen-
prison matters; it is still a precious stone. Even if the expensive jewel is dropped into the dirt, it is to
leave its impression in the dust.

Despite what we feel, or what our pasts have led us to believe, the work of God is holy. He is able, completely, to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from the guilt of poor-choices. We devote our lives to following the ways of God, and God provides us with our true identity. He breathes into the dirt and creates a jewel; He establishes us as His children. By the work of God, we are righteous and pure. We are adopted by the Father – given entrance into His family.

It is like we have become a precious, raw stone in the hand of the Jeweler. He crafts and shapes and forms us for His purposes. With the tool of hardship in His hand, the Jeweler carefully sculpts His creation to reveal His mastery. By the end of His work, we are perfect – a polished and honed Jewel. Whether we are to be placed in the jewel studded hallway of the King’s courts, or we are to be delicately fastened to the King’s necklace, we are the magnificent display of the Lord’s glory and splendor.

In the meantime, while we are still being perfected and polished, we are no less than a Jewel. It is, now, in life’s valleys and mountains that we get to “live up to what we have already attained.” It is in this moment that we are enabled, by the work of God, to leave an impression upon the dust. We are given value and deemed worthy of the title, “children of God,” so let us begin living with purpose. Let us adorn the King with acts of kindness and compassion; Let us reveal the beauty of the Lord’s love; let us do something great that will leave an impression upon our circumstances. From a place of understanding our worth, let us live up to what we have already attained.

-          Dusty