Holiness and GPS Devices...

I was thinking about something the other day as I passed by a cornfield. I thought about how a farmer can plow his field, plant seed in that field and fertilize and cultivate...but when it is all said and done, that same farmer is completely dependent on forces outside of himself. That farmer cannot make a corn seed germinate. He can't produce rain or sunshine.

For that farmer to be able to make harvest, he depends on certain things that only God can give. But the farmer knows that unless he diligently pursues his responsibilities to plow, plant, fertilize and cultivate, there will be no harvest at the end of the season. In a weird sense, the farmer and God are partners. The farmer cannot benefit anything if he has not followed through with his responsibilities.

Farming is a joint venture between God and the farmer. The farmer cannot do what God must do, and God will not do what the farmer should do.

And for me to be holy or righteous it is equally a joint venture between me and God. No one can attain any degree of holiness without God working in his or her life, but just as surely no one will attain it without effort on his own part. God has made it possible for us to be a holy people, to walk in holiness...and he has given to us the responsibility of doing the walking. He does not do that for us.

I bought a GPS device not too long ago for my vehicle. It is extremely cool. It gives me turn by turn directions in a comforting feminine voice (I named mine "Elayne"...that's my wife's middle name).

One of the other features of the new gadget is that it also alerts me when I am speeding. It will give two loud beeps when I have exceeded the speed limit. But it won't constantly beep...the indicator will stay red until I have gone back under the speed limit.

That has been pretty eye-opening, frankly. I speed a lot. I never realized how much I speed. Now I have this device that serves as a gentle reminder in my life to obey the law.

We all need that from time to time. That is what the Holy Spirit's role is in the life of the Christian. He is there to gently remind us and convict us of sin in our life. He will not harass...just like "Elayne's" two beeps. The Holy Spirit will not force you to do good and be holy, He will only remind you of God's call on your life.

I can ignore "Elayne" though. I can just turn up my radio and not even hear the beeping and speed to my heart's content. Some people do that with their lives. They live in such a way that they can't even hear God speaking to them. In fact, some people are just the opposite they buy fuzz busters or radar detectors so that they can intentionally speed and not get caught doing it.

"Elayne's" purpose is a lot like the Holy Spirit's role in making me a holy person. There isn't a heavy hand being imposed on me forcing me to live a certain way...it is a subtle and gentle reminder that I am expected to abide by the law.

How have you been living lately? With a fuzz buster or with a GPS?