8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,
9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.—The words of the Apostle Paul from 2 Timothy 1:8-10
You will not hear many pastors preach sermons about “holiness” today. In place of an exhortation to holiness, most pastors weave a carefully-plotted, very gentle “urging” for people to “try harder in your striving to reach a goal of ‘good enough.’” Pastors seen to have forgotten the instruction God gave to Moses in Leviticus 19:2:
2 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy
because I, the Lord your God, am holy...’”
I can’t blame the pastors from shying away for exhorting their people to live holy lives. Why? Well, for one reason, it takes time. Sadly, most of us have wrapped ourselves in the tightly woven cloak of “too many things to do today.” We barely have enough time to get every task on our list completed before the sun rises on tomorrow and another day begins. We have strangled ourselves in activity. Time does not exist for us to invest in becoming holy.
Of course, by ourselves, we cannot truly become holy. Only through the power and direction of the Holy Spirit can we move toward holy living. But it takes time to listen to the Spirit as we read God’s Word, the Bible. It takes time to follow the leading of the Spirit. It takes time to reflect on where we began our spiritual quest. It takes time to contemplate where we stand in our spiritual journey. It takes time to consider the goal we must move toward as we follow the pathway God has laid out before us.
It seems as if William D. Longstaff understood the problem—astoundingly similar to our problem—that his contemporaries in the last half of the nineteenth century faced when, in 1882, he penned the words to the poem “Take Time to be Holy.” Eight years later, in 1890, George C. Stebbins would write a hymntune, Holiness, that would express the slow. contemplative mood set by the words in Longstaff’s poem.
Some consider this hymn too dirge-like for the sensibilities of the modern ear. But the pace of the song expresses the kind of quiet, deliberate yearning that a person must evoke within himself or herself in order to set aside the cares of the world—including the constant pressure of too-much-to-do—and invest whatever time it takes to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn how to live a life pleasing to Him.
Please carefully take note of Longstaff’s words:
Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.
Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.
Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.
Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.
Please click here to watch a video with a soundtrack of The Dallas Christian Adult Choir singing this classic hymn:
The question for you and for me this day: Will we take time to be holy?
Will you pray with me?
Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.
Precious Father, we confess our failure to set aside the time we need to read Your Word, listen to Your Holy Spirit, examine our lives, cast aside those sins that seek to drive holiness from our lives, and faithfully follow the pathway You have laid out for us. Forgive us for the foolishness of thinking that the activities that fill our lives full to overflowing will offer an adequate excuse for the poor choices we make regarding the use of our time. Help us to make a conscious choice to immerse ourselves in Your Word, so we may invest the time we need to strive for holiness in every aspect of our lives.
Yet again, we thank You, Gracious Father, for hearing our prayer in and through the powerful Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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