Author, John Eldredge, has written twelve books, including two New York Times bestsellers Wild At Heart and Captivating. I finished reading his latest book, The Utter Relief of Holiness, yesterday. It is a book of peace and hope.
At a talk one day, Eldredge asked a live audience, what do you think of when you hear the word, “holiness”? The responses were:
- Boring
- Self-denial
- Discipline
- Unattainable
- Striving
But, as Eldredge continues to explain, God seeks for us to be whole and holy. I was especially struck by Eldredge’s inclusion of motive. He wrote that it is not only important what you do – it is equally important why you did it. It’s not enough to do good works, you must do the good works with unselfish intent and motive. “Genuine goodness isn’t skin deep. Motive is a very essential category.” If doing good is a way of getting yourself needed and noticed, it isn’t goodness at all. I’ve always struggled with helping someone that isn’t kind in return, helping someone that is angry or mean.
Another thing in the book that struck me, was Eldredge’s explanation of coming to understanding in the journey to holiness. He explains that Westerners have an approach to understanding of hearing, acknowledging and moving on. But what we need to do when it comes to the Word of God is to abide in. To read through Scriptures again, and again – weekly, daily, more and more. We need to tarry, to be present in, to abide in – not just read and move on.
Part of what God wants when he makes us whole and holy is to heal. There is a section in Eldredge’s book called, “Healing the Brokenness”. All of us have something, some reason to feel broken. Doesn’t it sound wonderful to think of being forgiven, forgiving those who hurt us, to be restored, to be healed to be whole?
Author, John Eldredge
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