June 9, 2023 | Dan Low

Birthday celebrations. Graduation ceremonies. Family vacations. Worshiping together. With life essentially returning to normal, we are now able to once again fully enjoy the most cherished events that we easily took for granted. While it required a much longer timeframe than anyone ever imagined, it feels so good to get back to where things used to be. We just couldn’t wait for things to get back to normal!

But as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, God actually has a much better vision for us. More than just returning to normal (how things used to be), the Holy Spirit inhabits and leads us for a return to holiness (how things ought to be).

It’s as if God has sovereignly, graciously, and patiently granted us an extended opportunity (1) to take a deeper look into our hearts, (2) to relinquish control of our own calendars and expectations, (3) to wait upon him for his perfect time and way, and, most of all, (4) to recapture the love that we had for Jesus at first—to return to him with a wholehearted resolve to live as we ought.

With life returning to normal, how can we return to holiness (choosing to live according to God’s design as a masterpiece of his grace)?

START our day with a sincere prayer that invites our Father in heaven to honor his sacred name, to magnify his coming kingdom, and to reveal his good will through our individual lives as well as our collective community (Matthew 6:9-10).

LIVE our day with Spirit-filled wisdom because we know that the opportunities are precious and the days are evil (Ephesians 5:15-18).

FINISH our day with a real joy over God’s providence, a simple request for God’s presence, and a heartfelt gratitude for God’s provision (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Rather than settling for a return to normal, let’s do better with a return to holiness—with an elevated and passionate pursuit of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).