Holy, Holy, Holy

When my kids are reading through their science or history books, they understand that the words printed in boldface type are things that are going to be on the test at the end of the chapter. These are the things that they want to be sure to pay attention to and know well in order to make the grade.

When the Bible has something that is going to be important for us to remember, it is repeated. When Jesus says, "Truly, truly I say unto you" he is saying to us "Hey, pay attention". When something is repeated three times, we should understand that this is something we do not want to miss. This is going to be very important in our lives. Did you know that the only attribute of God treated in this way is his holiness?

The four living creatures encircle the throne of God Almighty singing "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." and never stop. Not only is holy repeated three times, it is repeated continually forever. They don't sing "Love, love, love" or "Mercy, mercy, mercy". Could that be because of all God's attributes, holiness is supreme? If God's holiness is so important it is worth repeating three times, shouldn't it be important to us?

When you enter your church service are you struck by the impression that this is the house of a most holy God? Does the service direct your attention to His holiness and our unworthiness? As you are led in prayer, do you get the sense that you are in the presence of a God so incredibly holy that we should be shaking in awe? If you aren't, maybe you should spend some time dwelling on just who God is. His holiness is certainly way beyond our comprehension. I know that I don't even begin to have a handle on what it really means to serve a thrice holy God, but I do know that I had better pay attention and start treating God and His church in a way that shows I understand that He is above all.