1 Thessalonians 4:7-8
For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness. Therefore, whoever disregards this, disregards not a human being but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.
I was recently flipping through the tv channels and came across the Disney classic, Pinocchio. Pinocchio was a wooden creation who desired to be a real boy. He was given gifts, but also a curse. He loved to have fun and got into mischief. When he was under stress or lied about what he had done, his nose would grow longer. He got into entanglements with shady characters that led him down the wrong path. But in the end, he learned his lesson to work hard, study hard and be good. His devotion to his father, Geppetto, and willingness to care for him allowed Pinocchio to transform into a real boy with all of its comforts. That was the Disney version. The real version served as a tragic warning (look it up on Wikipedia).
So how does Pinocchio tie in with Paul's letter to the Thessalonians? We are all called to holiness, but we often fail. Pinocchio was called to be good but failed many times. Pinocchio disappointed his father. Our sins disappoint God the Father. The world tempts all of us with many distractions and false promises. That was also the world of Pinocchio. The pit of our sin is hell; Pinocchio's was a whale. But through God's mercy we can be redeemed if we make a change and stick to it. Our lives can be transformed into a life in Christ if we believe and if we turn to a life of holiness, with the ultimate reward being eternal life with the Father. Pinocchio's turned from a life of mischief and debauchery to a life of love and care for his father, Gepetto, and things that really mattered. Consequently, his reward was transformation from a wooden puppet to a real boy. Pray for holiness in your life today so that you might be transformed into what God calls you to be…holy and blameless in his sight.
