When we speak of addictions we usually think of such things as substance abuse in the form of alcoholism, injecting illegal drugs and so on.

Certainly such addictions are horrible both to the families of people who are addicts and to the addicts themselves.

But there is a form of addiction that is to be desired by all sane, normal Christian people.

The addiction I speak of is a craving after, and actively seeking to be holy.

Those who call themselves Christians are addicted to holiness.

Many times in Scripture God's people are described as individuals who are pure of heart, godly in thought, word, and deed.

The book of James is crammed full of attributes of God's children, and we do well to read and reread that short epistle to see how well our personal behaviour is reflected in its teaching.

When God recreates us into His image, the outline of His moral character is stamped clearly upon us.

We find ourselves naturally seeking to live in ways pleasing to the Lord. Our desire is for active righteousness in every part of daily life.

In one way we cannot help seeking after righteousness.

Our appetite for sin is diminished and we find ourselves thirsting for holiness of life.

In today's verse, Jesus speaks of the agent of cleansing that becomes operative in Christians' lives.

What makes us holy and keeps us in that state is the Word of God.

Holy Scripture produces holy people.

Scripture is the food of the soul and it is used as a flashlight to shine on the path of obedience to God's will.

Spend some time today reflecting on the Bible's teaching, and then go out to live as God's children—in a world that desperately needs to see truth in action.