Be Holy Because I am Holy

“Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.” Leviticus 19:2b (NIV)

Holy-a word that has been thrown around and attached to words like cow, cake, and even expletives, is not what God intended for the word’s original use.  No, in fact, I believe God meant for the word holy to mean much, much, more, than what our secular society has turned it into.  

In our reading today from the “Book of Laws,” or Leviticus, we read a scripture that is not a suggestion, but a command.  God tells the children of Israel to “be holy,” because He is holy.  In Leviticus, God inspires the writer to pen very specific laws dealing with sacrifices, homes, sexual immorality, and much more.  But, what is holiness?

Holiness means to be set apart.  In the scriptures preceding Leviticus 19:2, the children of Israel were instructed to not commit the sins of those who lived in the land before them.  In other words, God wanted the children of Israel to abstain from what the “world” had done.  Just as God wanted the children of Israel to be holy, He wants us too, to be holy.  God wants us to be set apart from this world.  The scripture in the New Testament is very clear about holiness.  Hebrews 12:14 teaches that without holiness, no man will see the Lord.  1 Peter 1:15 explains that we must be holy in all our conduct.  

Some may want to get into a discussion of what holiness looks like.  However, I would rather strive to have holiness in my heart and in my mind.  What I wear, the places I go, and things I do, will all change when there is true holiness in my life. “Casting Crowns” put it best in the song, “What This World Needs,”-“God’s gotta change her heart before He changes her shirt.”  

Start this week off and pray that the Holy Spirit reveals things in your life that may be a stench in the nostrils of the Almighty.  

Pray that God shows you your faults and failures, so you may repent and become set apart.  The world does not want more of the same-they are looking for something different; will they find it in you?

Allow God to do the setting apart and not man.  Let Him become intimate and active in your life so He may teach His ways!  

This is a journey, and I am glad to know that He walks with us along the way, there to catch us, when we fall.   Have a blessed week!