Friday, October 26, 2012

The Bright Lamp of Holiness by Francis Frangipane

A good reminder from Francis Frangipane...

The Bright Lamp of Holiness
     Since true holiness produces in us the actual life of the Holy Spirit, we must be sure we know who the Spirit is. The Spirit of God is love, not religion. God is life, not rituals. The Holy Spirit does more in us than simply enable us to have a religion about God. The Spirit comes to lead us into the actual presence of Jesus. Herein is our holiness made real: in our union and fellowship with Christ.
      Again, the holiness we are seeking is not a legislative or legalistic set of rules; it is Christ's very own quality of life. The Holy Spirit works in us not merely a new desire to love, but He imparts to us Christ's very own love. We develop more than just a general faith in Jesus; we actually begin believing like Jesus, with His quality of faith. It is God in us that makes us holy. Let it stagger us, let it rock us off our comfortable little perches until, with great trembling and great joy, with deep worship and holy fear, we approach the divine reality who has, for His own will and purpose, called us to Himself.
      "Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Cor. 3:16).
       The Spirit of God dwells in us. In this light, let us ask ourselves again the age-old question, "What is man?" We know how we appear to other men, but if God truly is within us, how do we appear to angels or devils? What light marks us in the spirit world, what illumination surrounds us, what glory declares to the invisible realm, "Behold and beware, here walks a son of God!"
      Think of it: the Spirit of the Creator, who purposed in the beginning to make man in His image, is in you . . . now.

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