MikePeercy.com

I have an old friend that God has used to teach me a lot. Some of you that may happen to read this will know this man. In my college days, this friend lived out for me and so many others what it meant to be a servant in the midst of a very self-absorbed culture.

The thing about this friend is that he had such a kind and gentle spirit that he was constantly apologizing for anything that wasn’t as someone wanted it to be… whether or not he had anything to do with that circumstance. The most common words out of his mouth were, “I’m sorry.”

When we would say, “Stop saying I’m sorry,” he would reply, “Ok, I’m sorry.”

Now I’m not saying he never made a mistake or anything like that, but the guy was (and is, as best I can tell) a beautiful example of living life in a blameless way. No one could accuse him of mistreating them because he would immediately own even the possibility of having done something wrong and seek to make it right.

What a living lesson he has been to me and to so many.

The Apostle Paul, as he was writing to the Thessalonian believers, had expressed his prayer that God would cause them to “increase and abound in love for one another and for all” (1 Thess 3.12). But he goes on to expand on that thought:

“So that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.”

1 Thessalonians 3.13

Paul seems to lead us to the conclusion that effect of the overflow of God’s love in us is to “establish your hearts blameless in holiness.” That is, the practical living out of the holiness of God is the through-flowing of His own love.

I believe that Paul is teaching us that, when God’s love is given the full surrender of our lives through which to flow utterly unhindered, there is no cause for blame. There is a demonstration of genuine holiness. It doesn’t mean that we live in some sinless perfection, but rather that we are so overwhelmed with the love of God with which He has graciously flooded our lives that we own our sin, our mistakes, our brokenness very quickly, readily.

That kind of life, infused with the self-giving, self-sacrificing love of God will be seen in a heart set firmly in blameless holiness before God and will someday find the rest of that life transformed to match.

Maybe a heart that is blameless in holiness is most easily recognized by its willingness to be made right, to make amends, to say, “I’m sorry.”

When I meet a soul with that kind of spiritual demeanor, I stand in wonder of such a work of God.

Oh to be such a blameless wonder!

Father, would you so flood my life with Your gracious love that I may become such a one as this?