"These [in Berea] were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." - Acts 17:11
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(1) Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. (2) There is a time for birth and death, planting and reaping, (3) for killing and healing, destroying and building, (4) for crying and laughing, weeping and dancing, (5) for throwing stones and gathering stones, embracing and parting. (6) There is a time for finding and losing, keeping and giving, (7) for tearing and sewing, listening and speaking. (8) There is also a time for love and hate, for war and peace.

Contemporary English Version copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society.

In Ecclesiastes 3, Solomon lists a series of activities, showing that there are times when one should be done and another not done. However, is there ever a time when we should not be holy? Can we at times throw "caution to the wind" and behave any way we desire? Are we allowed to "let our hair down" for short periods in terms of our conduct and witness? Is it allowable to forget for a time our duties to God and man or our goal of being in the Kingdom of God? Can we occasionally take a vacation from our labors to become holy and evermore in Christ's image?

These questions touch all of us regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, position, or years in the church. Holiness must concern us whether we are rich or poor, learned or uneducated, young or old. There is not only no time when one should be unconcerned about holiness, but there is no person, no matter who he or she is, who should be unconcerned about it.

David, in Psalm 10:4, observes a difference between the righteous and wicked: "The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts." We live in a busy and alluring world. Admittedly, there are numerous distractions, each with its attendant pressures, assaulting us from every angle. We must make choices to control the use of our time, and we must never allow God and holiness to slip from the overall highest priority.

— John W. Ritenbaugh

To learn more, see:
Is the Christian Required To Do Works? (Part Six)



 

Topics:

Conduct

Holiness

Holiness as Conduct

Holiness as Mindset

Holiness, Pursuing




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