How Holy Should We Be?

But just as he who called you is holy,

so be holy in all you do; for it is written:

“Be holy, because I am holy.”

I Peter 1:15-16

In a world where there is so much evil,

it’s easy to lower our standards just a little bit for the sake of a good joke or a little humor.

Television shows make it seem normal to see life as one big sitcom.

Honestly, there are many days I feel like I’m in a sitcom and someone just forgot to tell me I’m being filmed.

But……

the director of my life isn’t looking for the next joke to come out of my mouth.

He doesn’t expect or even want me to carry life along as a comedian.

He wants me to be holy.

 

Why?

 

Because He is.

 

I looked up the word “holy” this morning, because I want to know exactly what God wants from me,

and what He wants is not a half-way- when-I’m-at-church-or-in-Bible-study-Kind-of life.

I Peter says,

“be holy in all you do.”

 

Every conversation.

Every action.

 

Holy………….

 

Set apart.

Dedicated to God.

Declared sacred.

Consecrated.

Saintly.

Devout.

Godly.

Devoted.

Having a spiritually pure quality.

 

Not self-righteous or proud or religious to the point of judging others,

but committed to Him in all I do-

not just when I am in a place where others are serving Him too.

 

Nothing upsets me more than thinking that I have let God or someone down by saying or doing the wrong thing,

but sadly,

it still happens.

 

I’m thankful for Paul’s own struggle to do what was right only to find himself turn around and do the very thing he was trying not to do.

 

Not that I struggle with great big sins

(if you can put sins on a chart which I don’t think you can,

although Christians do it all the time to make themselves feel better about their own weaknesses),

but I still struggle.

 

And when I do,

I feel convicted.

And I don’t feel holy.

And when I feel like I fall short of who God wants me to be,

I begin questioning everything about who I really am and who I want to be.

 

So, this morning as I read I Peter and saw the phrase,

“be holy in ALL you do,”

ALL jumped out at me.

 

I want to be ALL in for Him.

I want to be His in ALL ways.

I want to give my ALL.

And I want Him to be my ALL in ALL.

 

The Bible says that when Jesus returns every knee shall bow……

that means that one day ALL people will worship Him.

 

I don’t want to wait until He’s coming back to realize how worthy He is of my devotion, my attention, my worship, my everything.

 

He deserved it yesterday.

He deserves it today.

And He deserves it tomorrow.

 

2013 is the year where I can feel God calling me to an even higher place of commitment to Him.

I want to feel convicted.

I want to be aware of my shortcomings.

I want to be challenged.

I want to grow.

 

At the end of it all, I don’t want to come up lacking…….

and that’s a scary request because reaching that goal requires some testing.

 

James 1:1-4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  

because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

I don’t know about you, but I feel tested almost  every single day.

I want to pass the test.

I want to persevere.

I want to finish the race with a victory.

I don’t want to be a half-way, lukewarm person who does just enough to feel safe.

 

I want to give Him every part of me every single day.

Not to look religious but to feel faithful to Him who has given His life up for me.

 

I have felt convicted often lately,

and

today seems like a great day to simply say,

“Lord, I’m stepping up to a new place of fellowship with you.”

As I look at the word “ALL,” I realize there is just one letter separating it from FALL.

When I fall, I have stopped giving my all.

 

“Forgive me, Lord, in those moments of falling.

I long to

be holy in ALL I do.

Help me, I can’t do it on my own.”

 

Praying for you all today as you strive to live a life holy and pleasing to Him.