David was confused. His pastor had said we were to \u201cbe holy as God is holy,\u201d but David wasn\u2019t sure what he meant or even which word he meant: W-H-O-L-L-Y, H-O-L-Y, or H-O-L-E-Y. He was pretty sure it wasn\u2019t that last one. That was like the old socks Mom made him throw out for their many holes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When David looked up wholly<\/em> in the dictionary, the definition talked about being full or complete. That could describe God. He is definitely complete; He doesn\u2019t need anything. He created everything, so what would be left for Him to want?<\/p>\n\n\n\n * * *<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then David thought about the cover of his Bible: the Holy Bible<\/em>. So what does holy<\/em> mean? Back to the dictionary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aw, this must be it<\/em>, he thought.<\/em> It said, \u201c. . . worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.\u201d Sounded like God, all right. Did not<\/em> sound like David.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s like, in what universe am I worthy of complete devotion, or perfect?\u201d David wondered as he sat on the front porch talking to Skippy, his chocolate lab. He thought about the times he tried to be good \u2014 tried his hardest \u2014 but something would happen to mess it up. He\u2019d get angry or do something that upset others, like not turning in his homework or telling his friend, Jason, he\u2019d come over after school (forgetting he\u2019d promised Dad he would mow the lawn).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nope<\/em>, David thought, I am David\u2019s mom and dad also loved him unconditionally, although they got upset when he messed up. His dad always said that you have to work hard to accomplish anything in life. Maybe he needed to work harder at being holy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n * * *<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mom came out to the porch to see why David had been sitting so quietly. As he shared his thoughts, she smiled. \u201cThis is one time that hard work won\u2019t help. Let\u2019s look at some Bible verses. We\u2019ll start with Ephesians 2:8,\u202f9: \u2018For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.\u2019 So your salvation comes only as a gift of God. You can\u2019t work hard enough to be holy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut,\u201d David protested, \u201cI want to be holy so God will love me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mom smiled. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t work that way. Holiness is not the way to God. God is the way to holiness.\u201d She continued, \u201cRemember John 3:16? You memorized that one last year. \u2018For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life\u2019 (NASB). He has already shown how much He loves you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo,\u201d David said slowly. \u201cI can\u2019t earn my way to God by being good?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, when you accept the sacrifice His Son made for you and give your heart completely to Him, then God\u2019s Spirit will teach you about holiness and how to be more like Him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWow, thanks Mom!\u201d David smiled. \u201cThat helps a lot. Now, one more question. Can I have some of those cookies I smell?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version,<\/em> except where noted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" David was confused. His pastor had said we were to \u201cbe holy as God is holy,\u201d but David wasn\u2019t sure what he meant or even which word he meant: W-H-O-L-L-Y, H-O-L-Y, or H-O-L-E-Y. He was pretty sure it wasn\u2019t that last one. That was like the old socks Mom made him throw out for their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1576,"featured_media":32082,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37,2598,2390],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
nowhere near perfect, so I can\u2019t be holy like God<\/em>. Skippy just looked at him with those adoring eyes, making David think he could do nothing wrong in the eyes of his four-legged friend. Even if he forgot to feed him, Skippy was still there, loving him completely. I wonder if there\u2019s a lesson there<\/em>, David thought, considering how Skippy loved him unconditionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n