Make every effort to…be holy; without holiness no one will, SEE the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14; NIV)

This word “See” means the following:

• To gaze at with wide-open eyes, as at something remarkable; and thus differing from a simple voluntary observation.
• To stare at and thus discern clearly (mentally); by extension, to attend to.
• To experience.

Today begins our congregation’s twelve-day consecration. The third chapter of our consecration reading, The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, is entitled “Holiness Is Not an Option”. The Scripture found in Hebrews 12:14 tells us that we must make every effort to be holy (Different, Uncommon, Peculiar, Separated, God’s Private Property) because without holiness we will not be able to experience how remarkable God is.

God’s holiness is what causes the angels in heaven to call out to each other in amazement 24 hours a day and 7 days a week without ever getting bored (Isaiah Chapter 6). This is what David, the greatest human worshiper in the Scriptures, means when he tells us to “worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (1 Chronicles 16:29; NKJV).

Whenever people go on a sight-seeing tour, they can either see what every other tourist sees or they can see the special places that only those native to that specific area know about. These are the places that are probably not described on the internet or in a printed tour guide. These are the places that after you tell someone you’ve seen them, they reply, “I’ve never been there before!” or even better “I’ve never heard of that place!”

Because the word “beauty” is also defined as “originality”, there is a place in God that is so original (fresh, new, imaginative, innovative, inspiring, inventive, novel, unconventional, unprecedented, untried, unusual), that we can never be bored in life. It’s a place that only the Holy Spirit knows (1 Corinthians 2:10-11; NKJV). The question is, as with any other sight-seeing tour: Are we willing to pay the extra cost to see places in God that others cannot see? That cost is holiness!

If you’ve found yourself so bored with your tour in God that you’ve fallen asleep, this consecration is your opportunity to begin paying the price to see places in God reserved only for those who will make every effort (and fasting is an effort) to be different.