Holiness

This morning I decided to start reading Isaiah. I was reading the Message & got so caught up in the introduction to Isaiah that I haven't actually gotten to chapter 1 yet.

The introduction explains how, throughout the book of Isaiah, the characteristic name for God is "The H0ly." From there it talks a lot about holiness. This part really caught my attention.

Holiness is the most attractive quality, the most intense experience we ever get out of sheer life - authentic, firsthand living, not life looked at & enjoyed from a distance. We find ourselves in the operations of God himself, not talking about them or reading about them. Holiness is a furnace that transforms the men & women who enter it. "Holy, Holy, Holy" is not needlepoint. It is the banner of a revolution, the revolution."

I really love this. I started think about the definition of "holy." Revered, respected, sacred, etc...those are the words that first came to mind. All of these describe God, but could also describe the American flag or the Constitution...pretty much any "sacred" symbol. Clearly, God is immeasurably greater than any of those things. Holy isn't some stuffy church word. It's the very presence of God. His being. Holy describes God & God alone. Pretty incredible.