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The Measurement of Holiness
from June 2021
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The Measurement of Holiness
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by Bill Fortenberry
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call
of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Philippians 3:12-16 ESV
A buddy texted these verses to me recently. His focus was on the first three verses in that passage, but I was challenged by the last line: “Only let us hold true to what we have attained.”
If there was ever a time to hold fast, it has been the past 15 or so months. So much has been and continues to be uncertain. The smart thing to do would be to hold fast onto bedrock, something secure and unmoving when so much is moving around us.
But I didn’t.
I got caught up in the uncertainty. It became easy to drift along. I’ve consistently read four chapters in my Bible 36 // June 2021
every day. I’ve continued to attend church, either online or in person. I’ve continued to serve. But on the personal level, I was drifting.
The image in my mind is a beetle holding tightly to a twig in a rain-swollen creek. He’s holding on, but he’s being carried along by the water to every bend and waterfall the twig encounters. That’s me. Holding on, but not to the right things. Philippians 3:16 hit me hard. The only truth worth holding on to is the gospel and promises of Jesus. The Spirit inside me knows that. My heart of flesh, however, was drawn to temporary satisfaction, momentary happiness, and finding my identity in my work or my performance, rather than realizing and living in the Levitical truth that the LORD is my portion. I told a buddy that while God has prepared an entire banquet table for me, I’ve been content to stand at the edge and nibble on the Brussels sprouts. I outlined for him some action steps that I intend to take to fan into flame the ember that is inside of me. You are welcome to make them your own: • Call a hard stop. • Pray more, a LOT more. • Admit and accept my weakness for sin. • Pursue joy based in gratitude. • Acknowledge my identity in Christ. • Renew my purpose in this season. • Find contentment in the Lord as my portion.
Our tendency is to compare ourselves to someone who, in our view, is doing a little bit (or a lot) worse than we are. But other brothers are not our measurement. Holiness is.
About The Author
Bill Fortenberry worked 17 years as a newspaper reporter, editor and columnist, and has worked in healthcare communications since 2001. Bill serves as the chairman of the board of managers of Haven Health Clinic for Women and is a men’s ministry leader and small group facilitator at his church, HBC Rome. He and his wife, Lisa, have two children, Ethan and Autumn. A storyteller at heart, Bill writes an occasional blog at kudzudad.blogspot.com.
