"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.' " 1 Peter 1:14-16 (ESV)
These verses can be pretty intimidating!
Or how about this one: "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48 (ESV)
Alright. I'm out. Impossible.
First, we have to realize that God does not expect us to be perfect. He knows we never will be until we are one day transformed in Heaven. So what is this holiness thing all about?
One definition of holiness states that someone holy is "regarded with or worthy of worship or veneration." That's God; definitely not us. No way.
Try again. Holy -- "Belonging to,... or associated with a divine power" There is the key. If we are true Christians, we are holy (as impossible as it sounds) simply because we belong to God. It's not us that are holy, but Christ living within our hearts who gives us His nature in place of our own. When God looks at us, He sees His holy, perfect Son living inside of us. That's why we have the promise of eternal life. We are associated with the only One Who is truly holy -- He bought us with His blood, paying the penalty we deserved!
God's Word promises that Jesus "is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy." Jude 1:24 (ESV)
If it was up to us, salvation wouldn't be free. Not to mention, we could never earn it in and of our ourselves anyway. It's all through Him that we can ever hope to live victoriously.
That's not to say we don't have any responsibility though. We have a duty to walk the Christian walk, even if it's "against the flow" of the rest of the world.
Another definition of holy is "living according to a strict or highly moral religious or spiritual system." Doesn't sound incredibly fun.... But, we must realize Christianity is more than a religion. It's a way of life. We are to be an example of Jesus to a lost and dying world. Don't be scared by it, but remember, we can't take it lightly.
But how to practically live this out in our lives? What might living like Christ look like? A while back in Sunday School at my church, we learned the following three steps to holiness.
1. Sacrifice your highest interest and spend time with God. (This doesn't mean we have to give up doing the things we like to do. If they are not contrary to God's Word, we probably won't be called to give them up completely. It just means that prioritizing - by putting God first - can help our relationship grow so much closer. For example, when I wake up in the morning and automatically grab my mp3 player, I have to check myself and decide that God should be first. So, I might read His Word before doing anything else I'd like to do.)
2. Hunger and thirst after God. (If we don't have a desire to please God, read His Word, and talk with Him, we need to ask Him for that desire. I'll admit that I don't always have the desire. But it's not all about what you feel. Love is a choice. If you spend enough time with a friend, even though they may get on your nerves sometimes, you'll learn to love them and you'll get to the point where you just love being around them. That's a picture of what our relationship with God should become. The more time we spend getting to know Him better, the more we'll long for fellowship with Him.)
3. Praise and honor Him. (Yeah. God goes for compliments. Thing is, He deserves them. A lot more than we ever can. He is so worthy of our praise. He deserves all the glory, honor, and praise we can give Him and then more beyond that - far more. There's no such thing as praising Him enough. So sing to Him (one of my personal favorites), dance for Him, use the talents and gifts He's given you (giving Him credit, of course), thank Him, and spread His love to everyone you meet.)
Don't be discouraged. As God tells Hermie and Wormie in Max Lucado's "Hermie: A Common Caterpillar", "I'm not finished with you yet." And He's not. Trust me, He's got a long way to go with me. But it's His job to do the perfecting. We'll get nowhere in our own strength. Just let go, and let God...
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