On Holiness. . .

"A man may go great lengths, and yet never reach trule holiness. It is not knowledge--Balaam had that: nor great profession--Judas Iscariot had that: nor doing many things--Herod had that: nor zeal for certain matters in religion--Jehu had that: nor morality and outward respectability of conduct--the young ruler had that: not taking pleasure in hearing preachers--the Jews in Ezekiel's time had that: nor keeping company with godly people--Joab and Gehazi and Demas had that. Yet none of these was holy! These things alone are not holiness." (34-35)

"And this I do boldly and confidently say, that true holiness is a great reality. It is something in a man that can be seen, and known, and marked, and felt by all around him. It is light: if it exists, it will show itself. It is salt: if it exists, its savour will be perceived. It is a precious ointment: if it exists, its presence cannot be hid." (39)


From Holiness by J. C. Ryle (Fleming H. Revell Company, New Jersey).

P.S. Not sure I agree with Ryle's full opinion in the book, but was struck by these quotes.

Until Heaven is Home

God once breathed and created;
wind of life birthed the ground.
Hands of splendor formed man's image;
Ruling earth, a servant crowned.

Yahweh spoke and chose a nation,
Set a king upon her throne.
Though expelled in sin - expect, remember.
Cloud and pillar led Israel home.

Immanuel came to call the nations;
Humility's garment enwrapped a child.
Justice and compassion intermingled,
Upon the Son His wrath not mild.

Little ones gathered with bated breath,
Raised for heaven, called from death.
Spirit moved and walls were shaken;
Ruah anointed the fellowship with oil.

Shout and dance --
God resides among His people.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
With the saints today are found.

Stand up, honor, adore your Lamb.
Our time is short to make Him known.
Praise the Lord wholly invested!
Praise Him until heaven is home.

(c) 2009 by Kendra Hinkle.

This is a personal psalm I'll come back to later. Not too fond of it, but working with paralellism and the traditional structure of a Psalm was fun. I've tweaked and changed some of the order...so it really doesn't follow the correct form any more of the Biblical Psalms.