Tag: holiness

1 Thessalonians Devotionals

God’s will

For this is God’s will, your sanctification… (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

Those words struck me today, probably because this is one of the few places that outright says, “This is God’s will.”

I think a lot of Christians, myself included, say, “I want to know God’s will.”

And we usually think in terms of things like who we should marry or what career path to take.

But God reminded me this morning, “This is my will: your sanctification.”

Paul is primarily talking about sexual purity here, as sexual sin was as big a problem then as it is now.

But sanctification isn’t limited to sexual purity. It’s becoming more like Jesus in everything: in love, in speech, in thoughts, in everything we do.

So today, I’m thinking about certain heart issues God’s been working on in my life.

And as I’m wrestling with them even now, I’m reminding myself of loving Abba’s words to me.

“This is my will: your sanctification.”

Tags God's will, holiness, sanctification, sexual purity

Deuteronomy Devotionals

Abhorrent to God. Abhorrent to us?

Post author By Bruce
Post date March 31, 2025
2 Comments on Abhorrent to God. Abhorrent to us?

You saw their abhorrent images and idols made of wood, stone, silver, and gold, which were among them. (Deuteronomy 29:17)

Being in Japan, it’s easy for me to “get used to” all the idols and altars that are around.

But it struck me today that God never “gets used to” them, anymore than he did in Moses’ day. These things were and are abhorrent to him.

But then my next thought was, “What other things do I take for granted that God finds abhorrent?”

My first thought went to the kinds of things showing on Amazon Prime.

Not all of it is bad, of course. But there are definitely things there that would have been abhorrent to us 10-20 years ago.

Nowadays, though, it’s easy to take the attitude of “that’s the way the world is now.”

But God’s attitude never changes. These things are still abhorrent to him. And they should be to us.

And so my prayer today was, “Father, let me never become insensitive to what you find abhorrent. Help me to see things as you do.”

Tags detestable things, holiness, Things God hates

Deuteronomy Devotionals

Because we are God’s children

Post author By Bruce
Post date March 21, 2025
2 Comments on Because we are God’s children

You are sons of the Lord your God…you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God.

The Lord has chosen you to be his own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 14:1-2)

Those are amazing words to reflect on. They were spoken to Israel, but they are now also spoken to us. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

The question is, how do we respond?

We are to be holy as God is holy.

For the Jews, that meant, among other things, rejecting pagan religious rituals (1, 21) and following a special diet (3-21).

Perhaps that diet was God’s way of daily reminding them they were not to merely live on physical food, but on every word he spoke. (Deuteronomy 8:3)

We are no longer bound by that diet (Mark 7:14-19), but it is still God’s desire that we be holy. To imitate him.

That means watching not what goes into our mouths, but what’s in our hearts. (Mark 7:20-23)

But what is our motivation for being holy? To impress God? To prove we’re worthy of his acceptance?

No, we are already accepted. We are already his children, his treasured possession.

Why then?

Because we want to be like our Daddy.

Is that your heart?

Tags accepted by God, child of God, holiness, motives

Deuteronomy Devotionals

What we bring into our homes

Post author By Bruce
Post date March 12, 2025
2 Comments on What we bring into our homes

Do not bring any detestable thing into your house, or you will be set apart for destruction like it.

You are to abhor and detest it utterly because it is set apart for destruction. (Deuteronomy 7:26)

Those words really resonated with me this morning.

How often do I bring detestable things into my home?

For me, the thing I need to be most careful about “bringing in” is what I watch on the internet. Or what kinds of things I read. Or what podcasts I listen to.

God brought to mind a podcast I was listening to just yesterday. It was mostly fine, but there was about a five-minute stretch of coarse joking.

I wasn’t entertained at all, but for some reason, I didn’t shut it off either. Probably because it never occurred to me how much God detested it.

I think next time, I’ll either have to skip forward or shut it off altogether. Because anything God detests, I need to too. These are things are set apart for destruction.

We are a holy people, belonging to the Lord. God has chosen us to be his special possession. (6)

So with grateful hearts, let us live that way, and not “bring into our homes” anything God detests.

Tags detestable things, God's people, God's possession, holiness

1 Thessalonians Devotionals

God is faithful. He will do it.

Post author By Bruce
Post date December 17, 2024
No Comments on God is faithful. He will do it.

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely.

And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He who calls you is faithful; he will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

“He who calls you is faithful; he will do it.”

Those words rung in my mind this morning.

It brought to mind what Paul wrote in Romans 8:29-30:

For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

I wonder. Do we really believe this?

He started this work, choosing us before we were born. Choosing us to become like his Son, our whole spirit, soul, and body sound and blameless before him.

And what he started, he will complete. Because he is faithful.

Do you like what you see in the mirror? Or do you see your sins and failures, the dirt and grime, and grimace?

Our Abba doesn’t grimace. He knew you from the first. And he still chose you. He called you. He justified you, wiping away your entire record of sin.

And whether you can see it or not, he’s in the process of sanctifying you through and through.

This is God’s will: your sanctification, your becoming like Jesus. (1 Thesssalonians 4:3)

And he’s not going to stop until he’s completed the process and he glorifies you, making you completely like his Son.

So put on the breastplate of righteousness. Not your righteousness, but the righteousness of God that comes by faiith. Let confidence in God’s love for you guard your heart. (Ephesians 6:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:8)

And know that the hope of your salvation, of your becoming like Jesus is a certain hope. Wear that hope every day.

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ… (1 Thessalonians 5:9)

And again,

He who calls you is faithful; he will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Tags faith, God, God's faithfulness, grace, holiness, Jesus, sanctification, Sin

1 Thessalonians Devotionals

Because we have hope

…may the Lord cause you to increase and to abound in love for one another and for all, just as also we do for you, so that your hearts may be established blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Finally therefore, brothers, we ask you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus that, just as you have received from us how it is necessary for you to live and to please God, just as indeed you are living, that you progress even more…

For this is the will of God, your sanctification. (1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:1, 3, LEB)

Here at Christmastime, we often reflect on the first coming of Jesus. But Jesus is coming again. That is our hope.

In the last three months, two people I know have passed away and gone to be with the Lord.

But as Paul said, we don’t grieve as those in the world who have no hope. When Jesus returns, they will rise and we who are alive will join them in the air to be with Jesus forever.

And on that day, Paul says we will be established blameless in holiness before God. To put it more simply, we will be like Jesus, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)

That’s our hope. But in the meantime, Paul and John both encourage us to become more and more like Jesus. (2 Thessalonians 4:1-3, 1 John 3:3)

I love the LEB’s translation of verse 3: You are already seeking to please God, but “progress even more.”

Keep moving forward. That’s God’s will for us. That moment to moment, day to day we become more like Jesus.

Lord Jesus, as I look forward to Christmas, I also look forward to your coming. To seeing you and seeing my friends again.

But until then, help me to keep progressing. Help me to keep on growing. And by your grace, help me to become more like you each day.

Tags 1 Thessalonians, becoming like Jesus, Bible Original, christianity, first advent, God, holiness, Hope, Jesus, second coming

Psalms Devotionals

A prayer for holiness

How do we respond to God’s word?

In this passage, we see both his unspoken word in creation, and his spoken word in the scripture.

Do we wonder at his unspoken word, the heavens he created? Do we marvel at his greatness and power? Do our hearts overflow with thanksgiving and worship?

Or do we simply take it all for granted?

When we look at his written word, what is our response?

Do we rejoice in it, seeing it as life-giving words? Does it make our heart glad and our eyes light up to see the truth in it? Do we desire it more than gold? Is it sweeter to us than honey?

Or is it a burden, a weight that drags us down?

Ultimately, our response to God’s word in creation and scripture should be one of worship. It should be a strong desire for holiness, a desire to be like our God who loves us.

And that’s what we see in David’s prayer at the end. May it be our prayer too.

Who perceives his unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins;
do not let them rule me.

Then I will be blameless
and cleansed from blatant rebellion.

May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:12-14)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, God's word, holiness

Psalms Devotionals

Heart searching

I’ve been doing some heart searching the last several days, reflecting on my attitudes, my words, my actions.

I suppose that’s why verses 1-2 really struck me today.

Lord, who can dwell in our tent?
Who can live on your holy mountain?

The one who lives blamelessly,
practices righteousness,
and acknowledges the truth in his heart. (Psalm 15:1-2)

I always try to do right, think right, speak right. But I don’t always live up to that standard.

As Paul said, even when my conscience is clear, it doesn’t mean that my heart is completely right. (I Corinthians 4:4)

What’s my point?

We live each day by the grace of God. We strive to become more like him. We strive to be holy. But at the end of the day, we live by his grace.

And the good news is, his mercy is new every morning. Great is his faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

And when Satan or even our conscience accuses us?

God is greater than our hearts. He knows all things. He knows our failings. But he also knows our our love for him, and our desire to be more like him. (1 John 3:19-20).

He knows where we are as people. But he also knows what we will be. Peter found that out. (John 21:15-19).

So whenever we feel unworthy to dwell in his tent, to live on his holy mountain, let us go to Jesus and rest in his love and grace.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, grace, heart searching, holiness

Deuteronomy Devotionals

Our motive for holiness

God’s words here seem very harsh.

“Devote the nations in Canaan to complete destruction. Make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.”

Why so harsh? Because they hated God and were in rebellion against him, their Creator and rightful ruler. (10)

He had given them over 400 years to repent, and yet they had only gotten worse. (Deuteronomy 7:25, Genesis 15:16, Leviticus 18)

God is patient, but those who unrepentantly shake their fist at God will ultimately be judged.

The amazing thing, though, is that we were in rebellion against God too.

But while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

And though there was nothing special about us, God set his love on us and chose us, making us his people. (1 Peter 2:9-10, Ephesians 2:11-22)

That is our motivation for holiness.

Not to earn God’s love and acceptance.

Not to become his child.

But because we already have God’s love and acceptance as a child of God.

So let us not be ensnared by the things God hates.

Let us not allow anything he hates into our houses. Not porn, nor sexual sin, nor anything else that leads to spiritual death.

Make no covenant with sin, but by the Spirit’s power, let us vanquish these things from our homes.

And out of gratefulness and love for God, let us live holy lives that are pleasing to him.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, chosen, destruction, holiness

1 Thessalonians Devotionals

The hope of holiness

I wrote on this passage not too long ago, but my church’s reading plan brought me back to this, and as I read it this time around, something else struck me about Paul’s words to us about holiness.

I think it’s easy to look at the words of Paul sometimes, and think holiness is something we obtain through our own efforts and willpower.

After all, he says things like,

“For this is God’s will, your sanctification: that you keep away from sexual immorality, that each of you knows how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not with lustful passions, like the Gentiles, who don’t know God. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5)

And,

“For God has not called us to impurity but to live in holiness. Consequently, anyone who rejects this does not reject man, but God.” (4:7-8)

But don’t miss two things in these two chapters.

First, Paul tells us at the end of 4:8 that God has given us his Holy Spirit.

The One who desires us to be holy has not left us alone. He has given the Spirit whose very nature is holiness into our hearts, to guide us and strengthen us each day to do his will.

More, Paul prays,

“May [the Lord] make your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:13)

So when Jesus comes returns, it is he himself that makes sure we will be blameless in holiness before God the Father.

It was his work on the cross that purified us from our sins when we first put our trust in him. It is the work of his Spirit that purifies us each day. And it’s ultimately his work that will make us truly holy on the day he returns.

That’s our hope.

And that’s why Paul can say at the end of this letter,

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely.

And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He who calls you is faithful; he will do it.” (5:23-24)

So holding tightly to that hope, let us strive each day for holiness.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, holiness, Hope

1 Thessalonians Devotionals

Holiness

If there is one theme at the end of chapter 3 and the start of chapter 4 (which is why it was probably a bad idea to break this section up with the chapter division), it’s holiness.

Time and again, we see words with the same Greek root meaning “holiness”, which unfortunately is not so clear in the English.

Holiness, of course, often has a duel meaning. One is “purity” and the other is “set apart,” which in the case of the Christian, means “set apart for God as his own special people.”

And in this passage, Paul prays that God would make the Thessalonians and all the “saints” blameless in “holiness” before our God.” (1 Thessalonians 3:13)

Many times we thinks of saints as the super spiritual, but “saint” shares the same root word as “holiness” just a few words earlier in the verse.

All Christians are saints, because we are all set apart for God as his own special people. And because of that we are to live lives that are blameless and pure.

Paul stresses that a few sentences later, saying,

For this is God’s will, your sanctification… (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

Again, “sanctification” has that same root as the words “holiness” and “saints.” God’s will for us is that we live lives that are set apart for him, lives that are pure.

Paul specifically tells us to be pure sexually, which was as big a problem back then as it is now. And he emphasizes,

For God has not called us to impurity but to live in holiness. (4:7)

And then he says,

Consequently, anyone who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. (4:8)

Some people who claim to be Christians try to do just that: they reject God’s call on their lives to be holy. They would much rather live in their lusts. But in doing so, they’re actually rejecting God.

Can you really call such a person a Christian if that’s how they live the entirety of their lives?

We are called to be holy, because he is holy. And his Holy (there’s that word again) Spirit is living in us.

If the Spirit, who himself is holy, is truly living in us, how can we then live unholy lives, never repenting, but always making excuses and justifying our actions?

So let us listen to the Spirit in our lives. Let us follow his leading each day. Let us live by his power each day.

We will never be able to live holy lives in our own strength, by our own willpower. But the Spirit works us in us daily, and as we listen to him, we become more and more like the One who loved us and gave his life for us.

And ultimately, isn’t that our hope.

So as we strive for holiness, let us not only remember Paul’s words, but John’s, who wrote,

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, holiness, Hope, pure, set apart

2 Corinthians Devotionals

Because we are loved

Something struck me as I read this passage for perhaps the thousandth time.

A single word: beloved.

Paul says in chapter 7, verse 1,

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. (ESV)

The CSB and other translations often translate “beloved” as “dear friends,” which of course gives the impression that it is Paul who loved the Corinthians.

And certainly Paul did love them.

But I wonder if perhaps in this case, he did not primarily mean “beloved of God.”

When you look at the previous verses, he says,

For we are the temple of the living God, as God said:
I will dwell
and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they will be my people.,

Therefore, come out from among them
and be separate, says the Lord;
do not touch any unclean thing,
and I will welcome you.

And I will be a Father to you,
and you will be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty. (6:16-18)

All these reflect the special relationship, we have with God, and the love that he has for us. And it is immediately after this, that Paul says,

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. (7:1)

It is because we are God’s temple, and he dwells and walks among us that we are to be separate from this world.

It is because he is our God and we are his people that we are to cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit that comes from sin.

It is because he is our Father, and we are his beloved sons and daughters, that we are to fear him, longing to be holy as he is holy, not being satisfied where we are as Christians, but bringing holiness to completion in our lives.

That is our motivation for holiness. Or at least, it should be. Is it yours?

Tags beloved, Bible Original, Bible verse, holiness

Numbers Devotionals

Separate, but interceding

Post author By Bruce
Post date May 8, 2018
No Comments on Separate, but interceding

As I was reading different passages from the Bible today, several things struck me, but perhaps this passage most of all.

Some of the Israelites had rebelled against God, and Moses told the community,

Get away from the tents of these wicked men. Don’t touch anything that belongs to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins. (Numbers 16:26)

The truth is, if we become too entangled with the people of this world, we can get entangled with the consequences of their sin.

There is a reason we are called to be separate from this world. (John 17:14-17; 1 John 2:15-17)

And yet, we are not called to completely abandon those headed for destruction either, at least while there is still time for their salvation.

So in chapter 17, when destruction was headed for the Israelites because of their rebellion, Moses told Aaron to make atonement for the people.

Aaron raced into their midst, and it says in verse 48,

He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was halted.

We too are called to stand between the living and the dead.

We ourselves cannot make atonement for those who are spiritually dying. But we can introduce them to the One who can. And we can pray.

So as God’s priests, let us find that balance.

Let us not so entangle ourselves with sinners to the point that we get caught up in their sin and the destruction that comes with it.

But let us also intercede for those who are dying, that they too might find the life we ourselves have so graciously received.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, grace, holiness, Intercession, separate

Psalms Devotionals

Failing to see God and ourselves for who we are

Post author By Bruce
Post date April 26, 2018
No Comments on Failing to see God and ourselves for who we are

There are two kinds of blindness in this world. And one affects the other.

There is the blindness as to who God is. David writes,

An oracle within my heart
concerning the transgression of the wicked person:
Dread of God has no effect on him. (Psalm 36:1-2)

In other words, they can look at God and they don’t see his holiness. They do not see his justice. And because of that, when they see God, it doesn’t faze them. They see nothing special about him.

That in turn leads to the second blindness: blindness to their own unholiness. David says of them,

For with his flattering opinion of himself,
he does not discover and hate his iniquity. (2)

So many people today think, “I’m not so bad. Actually, I’m better than most.”

But they cannot see the sin in their own heart. They are completely blind to it. Or they shrug them off as “minor faults.” Nothing to really worry about.

Contrast that to Isaiah who when standing before God in all his glory, cried out,

Woe is me for I am ruined
because I am a man of unclean lips
and live among a people of unclean lips,
and because my eyes have seen the King,
the Lord of Armies. (Isaiah 6:5)

So many people think of “unclean lips” as minor faults.

“Okay, so I swear sometimes. No big deal. And sure my tongue can be a bit sharp sometimes. Sometimes things just slip out.”

But as James said,

And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among our members. It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. (James 3:6)

Before I get too far off topic though, when we see God, do we see him for who he is? A holy God. A God whose “righteousness is like the highest mountains,” and whose judgments like “the deepest seas.”

Do we even pause at seeing his holiness? Or do we just walk by without a second thought?

You will never know how awesome a thing the faithful love of God is until you understand his holiness.

That this holy God could love a sinful people like us should make us stand in wonder at his grace.

How often do you stop to ponder the holiness of God? Only when we do will we truly understand David when he cries out,

How priceless your faithful love is, God! (7)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, holiness, love

Leviticus Devotions

Made holy

Post author By Bruce
Post date March 1, 2018
No Comments on Made holy

Yes, it’s been a while since I blogged here. I’ve been working on a message for next Sunday. And I’ve been meditating a lot on Leviticus 18-19 and the laws there.

I won’t get into it here, but I think it’s instructive as you go through those passages to underline in different colors words like “unclean,” “perversion”, “abomination,” and “depravity.” (That’s the ESV version. The words may be slightly different in your translation).

Look at what are listed under those categories, and how the punishments are different for those categories.

There are a lot of arguments nowadays on how we as Christians should view these things and how consistent we are on those views.

The main thing that I will point out here is that there does seem to be a fundamental difference between what is listed as merely “unclean,” and what is listed as “perversion,” “abomination,” and “depravity.”

There is of course, overlap. What is perversion, abomination, and depravity all make you unclean. But it seems to me that not all that were unclean for the Jews, are “perversion,” “abomination,” and “depravity” in God’s sight.

Other words to look at are “iniquity,” “whoring,” “profane,” and “disgrace.”

But what strikes me is that time and again in chapters 20-22, God says, “I am Yahweh who sets you apart.”

Often times, he couples that with another thought: “Consecrate yourselves and be holy.”

Sometimes that is explicitly said, other times, it’s said in slightly different ways.

“Don’t profane…”

“Keep my instruction…”

“Keep my commands.”

In short, there are two things to note:

We have already been set apart by God and for God. He has saved us and made us his own.
As people that have been set apart, we are to live that way. We are not to go back to our old way of life, doing things our way, but doing things his.

But it’s that first point that drives the second, not the reverse.

We don’t live differently from the world so that God accepts us. Rather, we live differently because God has already chosen us.

We have tasted his love for us. We know that we he has adopted us as his children. And in response, out of our love for him, we live like his children.

Reversing that order leads to legalism and frustration.

Keeping that order leads to a life lived by grace.

Tags abomination, Bible Original, Bible verse, consecrate, depravity, holiness, perversion, unclean

Leviticus Devotions

How we regard God

Yes, I know I’m going backward. Actually this year, I’m reading through each book of the Bible at least twice, using two different translations.

I’ve been thinking about leadership in the church, and how we are to be held to a higher standard. And this passage shows that in no uncertain terms.

It’s interesting to me that in chapters 9 and 10, the exact same words are used, “Fire came from the Lord and consumed…”

In the first case, it consumed the burnt offering, and all the people stood in awe of God’s glory and were blessed.

In the second case, it consumed two of Aaron’s sons, because unlike in chapter 9 where you repeatedly see them and Aaron doing things as the Lord commanded, these two sons offered “unauthorized fire” in contradiction to what the Lord commanded (Leviticus 10:1).

And as a result, the people stood in fear as God’s glory was displayed in his judgment of these two men.

And God told Aaron,

I will demonstrate my holiness
to those who are near me,
and I will reveal my glory
before all the people. (10:3)

The ESV shows another possible reading of the Hebrew.

Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.

If we take the ESV reading, God is saying this:

“I will be treated as holy by those who would draw near to me. I will not be treated as some common or unholy thing. And I will be glorified before all the people by those who draw near me. You cannot just take me lightly and expect me to stand by and do nothing.”

The CSB reading makes it even stronger.

“If you will not treat me as holy, I will demonstrate my holiness such that you will never make that mistake again. If you will not glorify me before the people by the way you treat me, I will glorify myself so that they will know who I am.”

Either way, as a leader in the church, it gives me pause. How do I treat God? In my actions, do I display his holiness to those around me? Do I glorify him in what I do?

Will God display his glory in my life in such a way that people stand in awe of him, and be blessed?

Or will God display his glory in my life in judgment, causing people to fear?

Both are possible. It happened in the New Testament days as well. Just look at the story of Barnabas, and Ananias and Sapphira. (Acts 4:34-5:11).

God will not be treated lightly, especially by those who are supposed to lead. One way or the other, God will display his holiness and glory in my life.

I prefer that it be in a way that people see it and are blessed, not see it and fear.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, Fear, God's glory, holiness

Leviticus Devotions

How we see sin

It strikes me here how God sees sin.

It is perverse. (Leviticus 20:12)

It is detestable. (13)

It is depraved. (14)

It is a disgrace. (17)

It is impure. (21)

Do we see sin, the same way God does? Or do we take it lightly?

This world laughs us off when we talk about sin. They call us narrow and bigoted.

But we can’t afford to see sin as this world does.

God said,

I am the LORD your God who set you apart from the peoples. Therefore you are to distinguish the clean…from the unclean… (25)

Yes, I know verse 25 is specifically talking about “clean” and “unclean” foods, and that Jesus has since proclaimed all foods clean. But the principle holds.

Because we are set apart from the world, we are to distinguish between clean and unclean, between what is good and what is evil in God’s sight.

So let us remember who we are and what kind of people we are called to be.

You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be mine. (26)

As God’s people, holy to him, let us have the same view of sin that he does.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, clean, holiness, Sin, unclean

Leviticus Devotions

Contemplating God

As I read these passages, the same words are repeated again and again: “I am the LORD (Yahweh) your God.”

“Worship me alone. I am Yahweh your God.” (Leviticus 19:4)

“Set aside time for me. I am Yahweh your God.” (19:3)

“Honor my name. I am Yahweh your God.” (19:12)

“Do not follow the practices of your old life and of the people around you. Do not defile yourself with sinful practices. I am Yahweh your God.” (18:3, 24-30)

“Flee from sexual sin. I am Yahweh your God.” (18:6-20)

“Do not lie, spread slander, or curse others. I am Yahweh your God.” (19:11, 14, 16)

“Do not harbor hatred against your brother or sister. I am Yahweh your God.” (19:17)

“Love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh your God.” (19:18)

How often do we contemplate God in our lives?

Why do we set aside time for him? Simply because he is God and he is worthy of our time and praise.

Why are we to be people of integrity? Because he is the God of truth.

Why do we flee from things that would defile us? From sexual sin? From filth and lies that come from our mouths? Because he himself is holy.

Why do we love others as we love ourselves. Because he himself is love.

Why do we forgive others that have hurt us? Because he forgave us.

How often do we contemplate God and who he is? How would it change our lives if we contemplated him more?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, Contemplating God, holiness

Revelation

Because Jesus is coming soon

Post author By Bruce
Post date April 29, 2016
No Comments on Because Jesus is coming soon

If there is one theme throughout these final verses of Revelation, and indeed of the Bible itself, it’s that Jesus is coming soon.

He says it in verses 7, 12 and 22.

What should our response be to this? We see it in verse 17.

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears, say “Come.” (Revelation 22:17a)

I find it interesting that even the Holy Spirit cries to the Son, “Come!” Perhaps this in connection with his intercession for us that we see in Romans 8:18-27.

But we, the Bride of Christ, are also to long for his coming. We are to set our hearts on his return. How do we do that?

First, be faithful in all that God calls you to do.

Jesus tells us,

Behold I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. (Revelation 22:12)

Like we saw in chapter 20, there are two books. One is the book of our deeds, and the other is the Lamb’s book of life.

But just because your name is written in the latter doesn’t mean the former has been wiped out. I do believe that we will stand before God and we will be judged according to what we have done. It’s a theme we see again and again in the gospels and the epistles.

God will judge us for how faithful we’ve been with what he’s given us. If we’ve been faithful, we will be rewarded. If we haven’t, we will be saved, but only as someone escaping flames (I Corinthians 3:10-15).

And so as Jesus warns: be ready. (Matthew 24:36-25:30).

Second, strive for holiness.

John tells us in his first epistle,

We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. (1 John 3:2-3)

In other words, because we have the hope of Christ’s return, and that we will be like him someday, let us work to that end even while we are waiting.

And so Jesus says,

Let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy. (Revelation 22:11b)

Third, worship God.

There are so many things that can captivate us and our imaginations. Some of them are even good things. But they are not to be worshiped.

Twice, John nearly fell into that trap by starting to worship something that was good: an angel. (19:10; 22:8).

And twice the angel said,

Do not do it…Worship God! (Revelation 22:9)

Don’t worship the creation. Worship the Creator.

Finally, be faithful to the words of God.

We have seen many admonitions in this book. We saw them especially in chapters 2-3, but they are throughout the book. And Jesus calls us to be faithful and obey them.

He said,

Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophesy in this book. (Revelation 22:7)

And we are warned sternly to neither add to these words or take away from them. (22:18-19)

This then, is how we are to live until he returns.

But if you do not yet know Jesus, these next words are for you:

Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17b)

God will not force you to come to him. If you choose to stay in your sin, he will let you. (22:11a)

But his desire is that you would come to him and be saved.

He says,

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)

How do you wash your robes? By your own efforts to “clean up your act?”

No, you wash them in the blood of Christ shed on the cross. And when you put your trust in him, he purifies you from all sin. (I John 1:7)

Won’t you do so today? It starts with a prayer.

Lord Jesus, all my life, I have gone my own way, hurting you, hurting others, and hurting myself. Forgive me.

Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Make me clean of all my sins and failures. You are King of kings, and Lord of lords, and I give myself to you today. In your name I pray, amen.

I now close with the words of Jesus and John.

Jesus said,

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.

I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the Bright and Morning Star…

Yes I am coming soon. (Revelation 22:16, 20)

And John responds,

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with God’s people. (21)

Amen and amen.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, faithful, holiness, life, return of Christ, worship

James

For our good

“Why is God doing this to me? Does he want me to fall?”

Sometimes, as we go through trials, that’s how we feel. That God actually wants us to fail so that he can punish us.

But nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, God allows trials in our lives, but it is not to punish us or break us. Rather, he allows these trials that we might become “mature and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:4)

And so James tells us,

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15)

The word “tempt” in Greek is actually the verb form of the word “trial.” Because of that, perhaps James’ readers got confused when hearing that God “tests” us. Many people have the same confusion today.

Yes, God tests us. He wants to see what is inside of us, and he wants to use these tests to strengthen our faith in him.

But God never tempts us to do evil. He never says, “Hey why don’t you lust after this girl,” or, “Why don’t you start berating your spouse,” or, “Why don’t you curse me?”

All these temptations, James tells us, come not from God, but from our own sinful selves. Our own sinful desires lure us, and if we take the bait, it gives birth to sin, and eventually leads to death.

But that’s not what God desires for us.

Rather James tells us,

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. (16-18)

In other words, every act of giving from God is good. And every gift that he gives us is perfect. There is no malicious giving on his part. And there is no gift that he gives that is defective.

And that shows in the gift of salvation. God could have left us to die in our sins. But rather, he chose to give us life through his Son.

And God is not like shifting shadows, who one day will seek to bless us, and the other to destroy us.

Rather, again, his goal is that we might become whole and complete. That we would, as the writer of Hebrews puts it, “share in his holiness.” (Hebrews 12:10).

So remember that whatever you’re going through, God is not trying to destroy you. He’s not trying to wreck your life. We do enough of that on our own. Rather, through our trials, he’s trying to teach us to trust him.

And as we learn this, we see God’s goodness and faithfulness, and come out through the fire as pure gold, whole, complete, lacking nothing.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, holiness, temptation, trials

Hebrews

Holiness

“Sure, I’m a Christian. I believe the Bible. I believe in Jesus.”

Many people in the church say this, and yet their lives don’t show it. They’re still living the way they always have, and there is no change or growth in their lives.

When pressed on this point, many say, “This is just the way I am. I’ll never change.”

Or, “You’re being too judgmental.”

Or, “Yes, but there are reasons for my actions. Surely God understands.”

Or, “I don’t believe that this part of the Bible is for today. It doesn’t apply to me.”

Or worse, “It doesn’t matter how I live. God’ll forgive me. So I’ll just sin, and ask for forgiveness later.”

But if there is no real change or growth in your life, and these are your attitudes, then it may be time to seriously question your Christianity.

Throughout church history, there have always been tares among the wheat. People who proclaim to be Christians, who even make confessions of faith and are baptized, but were never truly saved.

And that’s why I think the writer of Hebrews says what he does in this passage. He said,

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. (Hebrews 12:14-15)

“Without holiness, no one will see the Lord.”

Do you believe that? You cannot live a willfully unholy life and still claim to be a Christian.

There is a vast difference between a person who truly mourns for their sin, yearns for holiness, and grows in holiness as time goes on, and the person who simply doesn’t care.

The grace of God is for the former. There is no grace left for the latter.

How can you claim the grace of God when all the while you’re spitting on the work Jesus did on the cross by indulging in sin?

And how can you claim to love God when you don’t care that you’re doing things that hurt him?

There were people like that in the time of Moses. Moses, in fact, warned about people like that, calling them “bitter roots,” and the writer of Hebrews alludes to this.

Moses said,

Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.

When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way.”

This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.

The LORD will never be willing to forgive him; his wrath and zeal will burn against that man. All the curses written in this book will fall upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven.

The LORD will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law. (Deuteronomy 29:18-21)

In short, there were people among the Israelites who thought that because God had made a covenant with the nation, that Israel would be his people and he their God, that they were now safe.

They thought that because they were part of the Israelite community, God would bless them even if they went their own way.

And Moses said, “No. Though they are part of this community, they are not safe. And God will judge them.”

More, he warned, “Expel such a person. His attitude will spread like bitter poison to those around.”

In the same way, many people go to church thinking, “Hey, I’m part of this church community. So God will bless me even if I go my own way the rest of the week.”

And the writer of Hebrews warns them, “That’s not how it works. God will judge you.”

Then he adds, “Don’t be like Esau who threw away his inheritance by seeking temporal pleasures. Though he later sought the blessing with tears, he was unable to get it.” (16-17)

So it is with us.

Many people will stand before God someday and seek the inheritance of the saints, but be unable to get it, though they shed many tears, because while they were here on earth, they spit on Jesus and his work on the cross by living selfish, ungodly, and unholy lives.

So take a good look at yourself. Do your attitudes show a love for God and a desire to be holy as he is holy? Or do you really not care?

If it’s the latter, you’re deceiving yourself if you think God will accept you, and you will end up missing the grace of God on the day of judgment.

Where is your heart?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, bitter root, Esau, holiness

Hebrews

When we face trials

No one likes to face trials in life. But God does allow them. Why? The writer of Hebrews tells us in verse 10.

God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. (Hebrews 12:10)

We are broken people in a broken world. But God’s goal is to heal us and make us into the whole people he created us to be.

He desires to purge all the filth from our lives and make us holy as he is holy. To make us perfect reflections of him.

And he does so by fire. Our character is revealed by fire. What we really are is revealed, not during the good times, but during the bad.

If our character is good, trials will reveal it, just as they did with Job. If our character is not, that will be revealed too as it was with King Saul.

But in facing ourselves for who we really are, we are then confronted us with a choice. To stay the way we are, unholy and sinful. Or to turn to God and cry out, “God I’m a wretch. Save me. Change me.”

And when we do, we will see not only God’s amazing grace, but God’s amazing transforming power.

As we listen to him and by faith obey him, doing the things he tells us to do, we’ll see him shape our character into his likeness.

Is it a pleasant process? Generally not. The writer of Hebrews tells us,

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (11)

The question is again, though, what will we do when we are in the fire?

What should we do?

First look to Jesus.

Look to him in faith knowing that he started the process of salvation in your life, and he will finish it.

He hasn’t merely said, “Well, I’ve given you all the tools to change. You’re on your own now.”

Rather he says, “Let me show you how to use those tools.”

And step by step he works with us. And he will not leave our side until the job is complete.

Look to Jesus knowing that he endured hardship too. He endured the cross itself. He knows how hard life can be. But his trust in the Father was rewarded, and he is now sitting at the Father’s side.

Our trust too will be rewarded, and we will be seated with him in glory someday if we persevere.

Second, remember that all that you’re suffering through is not because God hates you or is because he is sadistic, wanting you to suffer. Rather, he disciplines you because he loves you. He wants the very best for you.

Our earthly fathers may or may not have shown the loving discipline they should have. Their motives or methods may have been wrong at times. But God’s motives and methods are always pure and loving.

Therefore.

Strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. (12)

Or, as my sister likes to say, “Buck up, baby.”

And,

Make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. (verse 13 from the ESV)

In other words, do what is right. Follow the path God has shown you.

You’re already lame. You’re already hurting. And if you keep following the path you’re on, your bones will go out of joint.

But if you follow the path God is showing you, you will find healing. It may be hard. It may be unpleasant. But you will find healing.

What will you do?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, discipline, fathers, holiness, trials

1 Thessalonians

Because the Lord is coming (part 2)

Post author By Bruce
Post date October 31, 2015
No Comments on Because the Lord is coming (part 2)

As Paul concludes this letter, he gives the Thessalonians some final instructions on how to live in light of the Lord’s coming.

He told them,

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

The Thessalonians were going through a lot of persecution. But Paul said in the midst of it all that it was God’s will for them that they rejoice, pray continually, and give thanks in all their circumstances whether good or bad.

I can’t help but wonder if Paul looked back to this experience in Phillipi, just before he came to Thessalonica.

He and Silas had been beaten and thrown into prison for the gospel. How did they respond? They rejoiced, singing hymns to God, praying and giving thanks in the midst of their circumstances.

The result? God literally shook that place and not only delivered Paul and Silas, but brought salvation to their jailer and his family.

And so now, because of his own personal experience, he could encourage the Thessalonians to do the same in the midst of their hardships.

Paul then admonished the church,

Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. (19-22)

How do we put out the Spirit’s fire and extinguish his work in our lives?

First and foremost by not listening to him and trusting him. That was the problem with the Israelites while they were in the wilderness on the way to the promised land. (Hebrews 3:17-19)

That’s why Paul says don’t treat prophesies with contempt. God can speak through people even today.

But at the same time, test their words. Test them by scripture to make sure their words are from God. And if they are, hold on to them. If they are not, reject them.

But however God speaks to you, through people, through his Word, or whatever, don’t just dismiss Him. In doing so, you put out the Spirit’s fire in your life, and when the Lord comes, he will hold you accountable for it.

Finally, Paul ends with a prayer.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (23)

And Paul reminds us,

The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. (24)

Because the Lord is coming, may we live lives that are holy and blameless. But remember that it is not by your own efforts that this will happen, but by the power of his Spirit.

So hold on to Him. Don’t quench him in your life.

Instead, let him fill you to overflow, not only making you blameless and holy, but touching the lives of those around you.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (28)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, holiness, joy, prayer, rejoice, Spirit's fire

1 Thessalonians

To be sexually pure

We live in a world much like the times of the New Testament, a world in which sexual impurity is rampant. We see it in TV shows, movies, commercials, the internet; wherever you look, it’s there.

But in buying into the times, we take a cheap imitation of what God intended for us. Instead of lasting relationships where two people truly become one, we take temporary thrills which ultimately leave us broken and empty.

The numbers of people that have been devastated by sexual sin are innumerable. We see divorce, children without fathers (or mothers), unwanted pregnancies and abortions, STDs, and people torn emotionally apart because of it.

In short, we are far from the whole people that God intends us to be.

And so Paul tells the Thessalonians and us,

Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.

For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him.

The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-6)

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified.”

What does that mean? It means that we are to be set apart for him. To be his temple that he can dwell in. Paul says in 1 Corinthians that our bodies are his temple. (1 Corinthians 6:19)

But in order for our bodies to be set apart for him, we need to be sexually pure. For when we sin sexually, Paul tells us that we sin against our own body. (1 Corinthians 6:18)

Put another way, when we sin sexually, we defile the very temple of God.

So right after Paul tells us that it’s God’s will we be sanctified, he adds, “that you should avoid sexually immorality.” That means any kind of sexual activity outside of marriage.

Paul tells us that we are not mere animals that simply give into their “instincts.”

Nor are we like those who don’t know God and his will. God has revealed himself and his will to us. And he has given us the ability to make choices.

More, he will hold us responsible for those choices.

When we sin sexually, we wrong the brother or sister that we sleep with.

Not only that, if they are married, we wrong the one they are married to. And if we are married, we wrong the one that we are married to. Paul says we will be judged for that.

For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. (1 Thessalonians 4:7)

Just as God called the Israelites from all the nations to be a holy people, he calls us to be holy as well. The question is, are you?

Paul is very strong about sexual purity, saying,

He who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. (8)

In other words, Paul is saying, “I’m not just giving you my opinions. This is what God is saying. And if you reject what I’m saying, you’re rejecting God.”

Are you rejecting God by the way that you’re living? By violating a gift that he has given to bind two people in marriage?

Remember Paul’s words when he says,

You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, holiness, purity, sanctified, sex

2 Corinthians

Unequally yoked (part 2)

We talked yesterday about the importance of not being unequally yoked with people.

The main point I made was that if a person is influencing you in ways that cause you to compromise your purity or compromise your life as a person set apart for God, you need to put a distance between you and them.

Why?

Paul tells us,

For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. (2 Corinthians 6:14-16a)

In short, there is a fundamental difference between unbelievers and us, and it cannot be reconciled. Ultimately it comes down to the fact of who we belong to.

We are the temple of God. God lives in us. They are a temple of idols.

Oh, they may not be worshiping literal idols such as Buddha. But in their hearts, they have displaced God from the throne of their hearts and have put other things there. Their own happiness. Money. Possessions. Or whatever it may be.

And whenever these things come into conflict with what God has taught us are true and right, they thrust God aside and simply live as they please.

How can we possibly yoke ourselves to these people and put ourselves under their influence? They have bought the lie of Satan, “You shall be like God.” (Genesis 3:5)

Satan tells them as he did Eve.

“You don’t need God’s advice. You are wise enough. You don’t need to look to God for happiness. Look at these other things that can bring you happiness. You don’t need to live for God. Just live for yourself.”

And by following the lies of Satan, they effectively live for him and influence all others they touch to do the same.

But we are called by God himself to be his children. To be different. To be holy.

Paul says,

As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

“Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:16b-18)

Paul then concludes,

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

We are called into a wonderful relationship with God. But if we want that kind of relationship, God calls us to purify ourselves from sin. And sometimes that means separating ourselves from those that are pulling us away from him.

How about you? Out of your love and reverence for God, are you living holy lives? Lives that are pure before him? Lives set apart for him?

Or are you letting yourselves be influenced by the unbelievers around you to the point that you just blend in with them?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, holiness, unequally yoked

Romans

Going back to misery

I wonder when Paul wrote this if he thought back to the story of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.

He certainly makes the parallel in 1 Corinthians 10, when he compares the Israelites going through the Red Sea to baptism in Christ.

But in so many ways, the things that he talks about here reflects what happened to the Israelites at that time. They were dying in Egypt. They were living miserable lives as slaves, and it says in Exodus 2:23,

The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.

So as we know, God delivered them.

But as they were going through the desert and went through many trials, they started complaining and saying,

If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted. (Exodus 16:3)

Then later, just as they were about to enter the land God promised to give them, their faith faltered and they said, “Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt? We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” (Numbers 14:3-4)

Here, Paul faces a similar situation. He had just written that where sin abounded, grace abounded even more.

So he posed the question, which undoubtedly had been brought up to him before,

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? (Romans 6:1)

To that he gave a resounding, “No!”

Later after talking about how we are under grace, not law, he again asks,

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? (Romans 6:15)

Again, his answer is crystal clear: No!

Why not? He tells us,

We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:2-4)

In other words, we died to that old way of life of living in sin. We died to that kind of life so that we might live a new life, a better life. A life in relationship with God. (Romans 6:10)

So how can we go back to our old way of life?

But so many Christians are like the Israelites.

The Israelites had passed through the Red Sea and “died” to their life of slavery. They came out of the Red Sea new people. Free to live a new life. Free to live a life of victory.

But instead, they started thinking about “the good old days.” They thought about the delicious food they ate there.

And they started to think, “Let’s offer ourselves back to the Egyptians to live as their slaves again,” all the while forgetting just how miserable their lives had been there.

That’s what’s so deceptive about sin. It reminds you of its pleasures while causing you to forget the misery it brings.

And so Paul says,

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.

What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! (Romans 6:20-21)

In other words, “Those of you who are saying, ‘Let’s go back to sin and give ourselves as slaves to it once again,’ don’t you remember just how miserable that life was?

Not only did it cause you shame, it was killing you? Do you really want to go back to that?”

So he says,

Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (Romans 6:13)

Why?

The benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Romans 6:22)

When we offer ourselves to God, our lives become holy. Put another way, we become all that God meant us to be. We become whole as people. And the result is life. True life.

And the best part is that it’s all free.

If only we could see the true worth of this gift of life God has given us instead of selling ourselves back to that which leads only to death.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, Egypt, holiness, Israelites, wholeness

John John 17

Sanctified, being sanctified

Post author By Bruce
Post date October 12, 2014
No Comments on Sanctified, being sanctified

Sanctification.

It’s one of those words that could best be described as “Christianese.” A word that has meaning in the church, and very little outside of it.

It’s a word you often see in scripture, and one that you might hear thrown around in Sunday messages.

But what does it mean? Essentially, it has two meanings. It means “to be made separate for God’s purposes.” And it means “to be made pure.”

We see both of these ideas here. Jesus prayed for his disciples,

They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. (John 17:16–19)

Let’s take a look at verse 19 first. Jesus said that he sanctified himself that his disciples (and us, for that matter) would be sanctified too.

In other words, he set himself apart for the Father’s purposes by coming to this earth and going to the cross.

By doing so, he has sanctified us, both in the sense of purifying us of our sins, and also of making it possible for us to become truly his.

Now we are no longer truly of this world, though we are in it. Our way of thinking, the way that we live is completely different from the way the world thinks and lives.

That’s why they can no longer understand us, and some even hate us.

But each day, we are being sanctified.

Through God’s word, he shows us what is sinful in his sight, and he causes us to hate such things. And when we sin, his Word causes us to mourn over our sins and repent. In that way, he is constantly purifying us.

But through his Word, he also shows us day by day what he wants of us. He shows us how we are to live our lives and fulfill the purposes of his kingdom. And as we read and live these things, we become set apart for his purposes each day.

So in one sense we have been sanctified, having our sins cleansed because of the blood Jesus shed on the cross. And in another, we are constantly being sanctified day by day.

And since Jesus prays for this in our lives, let it be our prayer too.

Lord Jesus, please sanctify me through and through each day. Make me more like you, hating sin, and seeking to join the Father in his work every day.

Lord, where I fall, please forgive me and pick me up. Purify me, and make me yours each day. Amen.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, God's purposes, holiness, purity, sanctified

Luke Luke 11 Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: The one who is worthy of our honor

Post author By Bruce
Post date March 3, 2014
No Comments on Sermon on the Mount: The one who is worthy of our honor

We now hit the second part of the Lord’s prayer, or as some have correctly pointed out, what’s really the “Disciples’ prayer.”

Jesus said to pray, “Hallowed be your name.”

Although I’ve been a Christian a long time, and I kind of like the word “Hallowed” in the Lord’s prayer, it really isn’t a word we use nowadays. I doubt very many people ever use it outside the Lord’s prayer.

What does it mean? Basically it means to recognize and revere something or someone as holy. Which brings up the next question. What does “holy” mean? Essentially, it comes down to his perfection and purity in nature and character. There is no flaw in either.

This is in contrast to us who are far from perfect and far from pure in our nature and character.

So when we look at God in his perfection and purity, we are to stand in awe of that and honor him for who he is.

But to merely stand in awe is not enough. As we admire his perfection and purity, it should also stir something in our hearts that desires to be like him.

Just as a child longs to be like their father or mother, so we should have a heart that desires to be like our Heavenly Father. That strives to be like him. That desires to please him. And that groans at our imperfections and our impurities.

To pray “hallowed be your name,” leaves no room for us to live a life of sin. To say, “Well, God will forgive me for my sin, so I’ll just do my own thing.”

To pray “hallowed be your name,” if you are a true child of God, is to say, “Lord I so stand in awe of you, and I love you so much, that I want to be like you. Help me.”

And he will. God takes great delight when his children imitate him.

And though we may occasionally fall into the muck and mire of our sin (as we inevitably will), he will lift us out of our brokenness, wash us clean with the blood of his Son, take our hand, and lead us forward, teaching us and giving us the power to become more like Him.

How about you? Do you stand in awe of God, and desire to become more like him?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, hallowed, holiness

Luke Luke 11 Matthew Matthew 6

Sermon on the Mount: Our Father

Post author By Bruce
Post date March 2, 2014
No Comments on Sermon on the Mount: Our Father

I suppose I could breeze through the Lord’s prayer, but I just felt it might be good to take it a line at a time.

In these passages, Jesus teaches us how to address God. In Matthew, he says, “Our Father in heaven.”

In Luke, he simplifies it to “Father.”

Why did Jesus tell us to address God as Father?

I think the reason is because he wanted us to know it was okay to draw close to God.

It is by no means wrong to call God things like, “Sovereign Lord.” It is in fact appropriate, for that is what he is. Peter himself addressed God that way in the book of Acts. (Acts 4:24)

But to call God that does seem to put some distance between you and him. Certainly, a king and his servant have a relationship, but it almost never is a relationship where the servant can ask for the king’s attention at any time.

But a king’s child can. He has access that a mere servant doesn’t have. More than that, he has the confidence that his daddy loves him and delights in him.

Our Father is a great king. He rules in heaven and his dominion extends throughout the universe and beyond.

Yet he always has time for you because he is not simply your king; he is your Father.

The problem that many people have, however, is they can’t truly understand what it means to say God is our Father.

They can’t understand because their own earthly fathers were imperfect. They never listened. They never loved. They never cared. They never provided. They were never there. Or in some cases, were even abusive.

And we take all these negative images of our fathers here on earth and overlay them on God.

But God isn’t our earthly father. He is our Father in heaven. And all the things your earthly father isn’t or wasn’t, God is.

He cares. He listens. He loves. He provides. And he is always there.

What image do you have of God, when you hear “God is our Father?”

Hopefully you have a positive one that allows you to draw near.

But if you have a negative one, understand that God is different from the father you know.

Pray that God would heal you from the hurts your father caused you. Pray that you can forgive your father. And pray that God could reshape your view of what a father is so that you can truly understand who God is.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, God the Father, holiness

Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: Fulfilling the law

Post author By Bruce
Post date February 20, 2014
No Comments on Sermon on the Mount: Fulfilling the law

I think it’s significant that Jesus probably said these things after the controversies with the Pharisees over the Sabbath had begun (although you wouldn’t guess this by looking at the book of Matthew alone).

Jesus had probably already done multiple healings on the Sabbath earning the criticism of the Pharisees.

But Jesus makes it clear here that,

I have not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17)

How did Jesus fulfill the law and the prophets? Primarily in three ways.

First, he fulfilled the prophesies of the Messiah to come.

Second, he was the only man to ever perfectly obey the law. Because of that, he was able to take the punishment for our sin on the cross.

As Paul wrote,

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.

And so he condemned sin in sinful man in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:3-4)

Third, he fulfilled in his death all the sacrifices that God had required of the Jews.

As the writer of Hebrews points out, while God required them, they in themselves could not cleanse us from our sins. What they did do was paint a picture of what Jesus would do for us on the cross.

Now in Jesus, all our sins have been cleansed, and so these sacrifices are no longer required. They are, as Jesus puts it, accomplished in him. (Hebrews 10:1-18)

But while some things in the law were accomplished in Jesus Christ, as was our justification before God, nevertheless, the law still points to the holiness of God and what kind of people God desires us to be.

And so each day, we are to strive to be holy as he is holy. Not in order to earn our salvation, but because now the Holy Spirit lives inside us to help us live it.

Before we were powerless to do what God commanded. But now God himself dwells in us and gives us the power to become the people he originally designed us to be.

And Jesus warns us,

I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20)

That probably stunned the people who heard it because the Pharisees and teachers of the law were considered the strongest preservers of God’s law. They had made rule upon rule in order to make sure they kept God’s law.

But righteousness goes far beyond keeping the letter of the law. Righteousness is a thing of the heart. And if your heart is not right before God, nothing you do is right before Him.

Three points that Jesus would lambast the Pharisees and teachers of the law for were lack of justice, mercy, and faithfulness in their lives. (Matthew 23:23)

We’ll see more of what he means by that as we continue through his sermon.

For now, the question is, how is your heart? You may be doing all the right things, but is your heart right before God? What would he say about your heart today?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, heart, holiness, Pharisees, righteousness, Teachers of the law, The law

Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: To see God

Post author By Bruce
Post date February 15, 2014
No Comments on Sermon on the Mount: To see God

There are so many songs that express a desire to see God. Back when I was a kid, we had a song,

Open our eyes Lord,
We want to see Jesus.

To reach out and touch him.
To say that we love him.

Slightly more recently, there was another song,

Open the eyes of my heart Lord,
Open the eyes of my heart.

I want to see you.
I want to see you.

They’re both great songs, and I love them, but if we really want to see God in our lives, Jesus tells us,

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Why is purity so important? Because God is holy. When the angels sing at his throne, they don’t sing about his love, they sing about his holiness.

(Okay, maybe they sing about his love too, but we never see a song in scripture that says, “Love, love, love, is the Lord God Almighty.”)

God tells us in both the Old Testament and the New to be Holy as he is. (Leviticus 11:44-45; I Peter 1:16).

God hates sin and cannot be near it. And if we are covered in its muck, we will always find ourselves at a distance from God.

This is not to say that we’ll lose our salvation or that God will stop loving us, but we will never have the close relationship that he desires to have with us.

One time, I was talking with a friend in her garage, and her two-year old daughter wandered off.

When she came back, she had a sponge in her hand that her husband had used to clean grease off of their car. So now, the grease was all over her hands and her face, yet despite this, she reached out to my friend wanting to be picked up and hugged.

Needless to say, my friend did NOT want to do that, and so her daughter started to cry. So very gingerly, my friend picked her up from behind and took her into the house to get her cleaned up.

Many times, we wonder why we feel distant from God. We wonder why he doesn’t seem to hear our prayers, or why we never seem to sense his presence.

A good question to ask yourself is, “Am I covered with muck? Is my sin making God keep his distance from me?”

The writer of Hebrews tells us,

Without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

A couple of notes. First, remember that though we may struggle with sin, God promises that,

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

The key is that we always seek to keep a clear conscience before God. And to do that, daily repentance is essential.

The second thing is that just because God seems distant does not necessarily mean you are in sin. There may be other reasons (which is a topic for another blog).

But repentance is a starting point. Ask God, “Is there something between you and me?”

And if there is, God will let you know. I strongly doubt God will ever tell us, “Well, I’m not going to tell you what you did wrong because you should already know.”

So if he doesn’t point out any sin in your life, then know that there are probably other reasons for his silence. And in time, he’ll let you know what they are.

But every day, you should ask yourself, “Is my heart clean before God?”

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, holiness, purity, repentance

Proverbs

Captivated by sin

It’s amazing how often we see adulterous relationships portrayed on TV nowadays. Nobody even blinks at it. And yet, one wonders why people never learn from it.

Even on TV, most times there are negative consequences that come from these relationships. Broken relationships and hurt people at the least, murder at the worst.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a show where the person said, “Oh, you slept with my wife? No problem. Please continue with my blessing.”

That’s one of the points Solomon makes here. He says,

Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?

Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?

So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished. (Proverbs 6:27–29)

He then expounds on this by pointing out that while a judge may be understanding toward a person who steals because he is starving, nevertheless he will pass judgment and the person will have to pay the price.

How much more will a person try to make another pay the price for sleeping with their wife or husband? They will have no sympathy whatsoever for the person who does so.

Solomon adds,

Blows and disgrace are [the adulterer’s] lot,
and his shame will never be wiped away;
for jealousy arouses a husband’s fury,
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.

He will not accept any compensation;
he will refuse the bribe, however great it is. (33–35)

So Solomon says, “Guard your heart. Don’t go after the adulterous wife, nor the prostitute for that matter.”

For the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread,
and the adulteress preys upon your very life. (26)

In other words, the prostitute will take all your money if she can, and once it’s all gone, so is she.

And if you play with an adulterous wife, you’ll likely pay the price one way or the other. A destroyed marriage and family. Or even a destroyed life through murder or AIDS or other STDs.

But from a broadened perspective, I think the same can be said of the results of sin in general.

Don’t be captivated by sin. Don’t lust after it no matter how attractive it might seem, because you’ll only be scooping hot coals on yourself, and you will be burned in the end.

While sin may look attractive, it will take all we have and utterly destroy us.

Rather, let our hearts be captivated by the One who loved us so much that he took the punishment for our sins on the cross.

Let us seek him daily, and as our hearts become more captivated by him, we will find true love and true life.

Tags adultery, Bible Original, Bible verse, captivated by sin, holiness, jealousy

Psalms

A desire for holiness

We now hit the longest chapter in the Bible. Needless to say, Psalm 119 is also the longest psalm.

I toyed with the idea of just getting it all over with in one shot, but I figured I wouldn’t be able to do it justice without doing one overly long blog.

So in the end I decided to break it up as God gives me themes for doing so.

In taking the first two sections of this psalm, the one thing I see is a desire for holiness in the heart of the psalmist.

For this reason, I would not be surprised if it was a psalm of David, whom God called a man after his own heart. (This psalm, however, is anonymous.)

After talking about the blessedness of those whose walk is blameless, the psalmist cries out,

Oh, that my ways were steadfast
in obeying your decrees!
Then I would not be put to shame
when I consider all your commands. (Psalm 119:5–6)

In other words, “Why can’t I be holy? So often, I’m put to shame because of my sin. If only I could actually keep your commands.”

He then recommits himself to holiness, saying,

I will obey your decrees;
do not utterly forsake me. (8)

What are the keys to holiness? That’s what the psalmist addresses next, singing,

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.

I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.

I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you. (9–11)

How can we be holy? By living according to the word of God. By hiding his word in our hearts, and meditating on it. By making it our delight and not letting it gather dust on our bookshelf.

Do we delight in the word that makes us holy? For that matter, do we delight in holiness?

Too often I don’t. Instead of meditating on and delighting in what’s holy, I meditate on and delight in that which is not. That’s what gets me into trouble.

And like Paul, I end up crying out,

What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24)

That’s the end result of anyone who strives for holiness in their own strength. What’s the solution? Paul gives it in the next verse.

Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (25)

We can’t be holy through our own efforts. It’s impossible. Even the psalmist recognized this, pleading with God,

Do not let me stray from your commands. (Psalm 119:10)

In other words, “God, I can’t do this! Help me!”

It’s easy when reading this psalm to take a legalistic view of Christianity. To think that we can live a holy life based on our own efforts.

But let us never forget we are saved by grace. And that apart from God, we will never be holy.

At the same time, however, let us never take the stance of, “Well, it’s impossible, so why even try?”

Instead, let us have a hunger and thirst for holiness. For only when we do will we see our utter and desperate need for God.

When we see that, it opens the door to his grace in our lives. Pride in our own righteousness is banished, and we find ourselves humbled by his grace and mercy in our lives.

The result? A closer walk with him, as we learn to rely on him and not our own strength. And as we do so, he will make us holy, changing us from the inside out.

That’s what sanctification is all about. This process of being made holy.

How about you? Are you hungry for God’s holiness in your life?

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, holiness

Psalms

The blessing of fearing and delighting in God

Post author By Bruce
Post date August 31, 2013
No Comments on The blessing of fearing and delighting in God

Fear and delight. Those are two words that you don’t often see thrown together.

But the psalmist here does use them together, talking about the blessing that comes from fearing God and delighting in him and his word.

He writes,

Blessed are those who fear the Lord,
who find great delight in his commands. (Psalm 112:1)

What does it mean to fear God? I think it’s a combination of things.

It’s an overwhelming sense of awe at his greatness.

It’s understanding that he is so much greater than we are, and that he is so much holier than we are.

And because of that, there is some actual fear, because we know we are so unworthy to even be in his presence—that we deserve to die because we are sinners in front of a holy God.

All the saints that met God in the Bible face to face experienced that feeling.

Yet, at the same time, they knew his love and mercy toward them, and because of that they were able to delight in him and desired to please him.

The psalmist says that such people will find blessing.

The interesting thing to me is that they then take on the character of their Father in heaven.

They too become gracious, compassionate, and righteous in all their ways. They are generous, lending freely, and are fair and just in all their dealings (4–5).

What’s the result?

Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
they will be remembered forever.

They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. (6–8)

So often, because people trust only in themselves, they are worried about the future. Why? Because they can’t control it. And when they hear bad news, they panic trying to figure out what to do.

But when we trust in the Lord, even in the bad times, our hearts remain secure, and we have no fear. Why?

Because we’re not trying to control things. Instead, we put control into the hands of the one who can handle it. And even though people may oppose us, God will give us the victory.

As the psalmist puts it,

The wicked will see and be vexed,
they will gnash their teeth and waste away;
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing. (10)

But as for those who trust in God, we can continue to be generous, blessing those around us. More than that, God will honor us for it. (9)

So each day, let us fear and delight in the one who is holy, awesome, and good.

Tags awe, Bible Original, Bible verse, delighting in God, fear of God, holiness

Psalms

The God who is holy

So often, when we think of God and his character, the first word that comes to mind is “love.”

And it is true. God is love. But here we see another aspect of his character: his holiness.

And so while Psalm 97 says, “The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice,” Psalm 99 starts out,

The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble;
he sits enthroned between the cherubim,
let the earth shake. (Psalm 99:1)

Why do we tremble? Why does the earth shake?

Because God is holy, and we are not. Time and again, the psalmist sings about God’s holiness. He says,

Let them praise your great and awesome name—
he is holy. (3)

And again,

Exalt the Lord our God
and worship at his footstool;
he is holy. (5)

And yet again,

Exalt the Lord our God
and worship at his holy mountain,
for the Lord our God is holy. (9)

It is because of his holiness that time and again, people fell before God in fear, whether it was Moses (Exodus 3:5–6), Isaiah (Isaiah 6:5), or even John (Revelation 1:17).

They knew they were not worthy to look upon God. They knew that by rights, this holy God should destroy them because of their sin.

Yet time and again, God showed his mercy to these men and to his people.

The psalmist writes about this mercy, singing,

You were to Israel a forgiving God,
though you punished their misdeeds. (8)

Though Israel often failed to trust God, though they often defiled themselves with their sin and God punished them for it, still he never abandoned them. He continued to extend his forgiveness to them.

And when people like Moses, Aaron, and Samuel, imperfect vessels though they were, called on God, he answered them.

The good news is that God does all of this for us. Though God is holy, and we are not, though we fail so many times, yet God forgives us and hears us when we call.

So let us remember his holiness and his mercy both, and as the psalmist says, exalt and worship him each day.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, holiness, Mercy

Psalms

The God who reigns

This is a very short psalm, and it reminds me of the old song by Jack Hayford, “Majesty.”

For it reminds us of the majesty of God and how it is he that reigns over this whole earth. The psalmist starts by proclaiming,

The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
Your throne was established long ago;
you are from all eternity. (Psalm 93:1–2)

Sometimes, as we look at the world around us, things seem out of control, with wars, violence, and all kind of evil around us.

But the psalmist reminds us, “In spite of all you see with your eyes, the Lord reigns. And he is in control.

“He established this world, and long before he did that, his throne was established. So don’t panic. Don’t worry. Put your trust in him who has existed from all eternity.”

He then goes on in the following verses to say, “Do you see the power of the ocean? Do you see how it roars and pounds the rocks on the shore? Know that God is much more powerful than even nature itself.”

The psalmist concludes by singing,

Your statutes, Lord, stand firm;
holiness adorns your house
for endless days. (5)

In other words, not only is he powerful and sovereign, he is also holy in all his ways.

I don’t know about you, but that’s comforting. If God were powerful and sovereign, and yet evil, we’d be in serious trouble. But he is holy, good, and just.

And as his people, he calls us to be holy as well. For as the writer of Hebrews puts it,

Without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

So in light of God’s majesty, sovereignty, and holiness, let us pursue holiness in our lives. And the day will come when we will see with our own eyes this God who reigns.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, holiness, majesty, sovereignty

Psalms

A life of holiness

I once heard someone describe the word holiness as “wholeness.” That when we live a holy life, that’s when we’re whole, because we’re living the way that God intended us to live.

I mentioned yesterday how when people reject God, their view of good and evil get distorted.

In contrast, here in this passage, we learn some basic things of what being whole is all about.

Why is this important? Because of how David opens Psalm 15. He writes,

LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? (Psalm 15:1)

In other words, not just anyone can enter into God’s presence. The writer of Hebrews made this very clear when he wrote,

Without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

What is holiness?

It’s walking blamelessly.

No one can justly accuse you of doing wrong.

This is not to say that no one will attempt to. Jesus was perfect, yet his enemies still found reasons to accuse him.

The key word here is “justly.” Can anyone justly accuse you of doing anything wrong? Or are you blameless in their eyes?

It’s doing what’s righteous.

Holiness is not just avoiding doing the bad. It’s doing what you know is right. James wrote,

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. (James 4:17)

It’s speaking the truth from the heart.

Are you a lover of truth? Or do lies, even “white lies,” easily slip out of your mouth?

I’m not saying that we should callously speak truth with no regard to the other’s feelings. But we are to speak the truth to people… in love. (Ephesians 4:15)

It’s avoiding slandering people.

How often do you talk behind someone’s back, whether it’s a coworker, a customer, or even your spouse? Holiness avoids that kind of talk.

It’s admiring those who do right, not those who do evil.

Who are your role models? Who do you strive to be like?

Are you seeking to be like those who love and serve God? Or are you striving to be like those who have rejected God in their hearts? Whose values are you taking on in your heart?

It’s keeping your word, even when it’s not convenient.

Even when it’s painful, you do what you said you would.

It’s being generous, helping those in need.

It’s not taking advantage of another’s difficult situation, but touching them with God’s love.

Finally, it’s being honest and just.

Treating all as God would, no matter their station, and no matter what possible profit it might be to you to act otherwise.

David says that this kind of person will be whole and as a result will never be shaken.

How about you? Are you holy?

The good news is that if you belong to Christ, he makes you holy and righteous in God’s sight through his blood. That’s in the legal sense.

But in the practical sense, Peter says that,

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3)

In other words, we don’t have to make ourselves holy in our own strength. God empowers us to live a holy life.

So each day let us strive for holiness.

And as Peter went on to say,

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5–8)

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, holiness, wholeness

Haggai

The difference between impurity and holiness

Post author By Bruce
Post date March 24, 2013
1 Comment on The difference between impurity and holiness

After Zechariah gave his message, it was Haggai’s turn. And here he shows us one of the differences between impurity and holiness.

To give a bit of background, in Mosaic law, after the altar was anointed, it became holy, and anything that touched it became holy (Exodus 29:37).

What Haggai was asking about here was if holiness could be transmitted second hand. If meat touched the altar, it became holy. But if food touched that consecrated meat, the holiness didn’t pass on to that food.

In other words, holiness can’t be passed on second hand.

Holiness doesn’t come from merely walking in a church, or fellowshipping with godly people. Holiness certainly didn’t spread from the prophets to the people for most of Israel’s history.

And for most of their history, despite going to the tabernacle and temple to offer their sacrifices, these things didn’t affect their actions the rest of the time, as they sinned greatly in God’s sight.

On the other hand, impurity is much more easily spread. So if someone touched a dead body, according to Mosaic law, they became unclean. And anything they touched also became unclean. (Numbers 19:11–22)

God then said,

‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the Lord. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.’ (Haggai 2:14)

Why were they defiled?

Basically it was because their attitudes had been wrong. They had taken God from the throne of their hearts, and placed themselves there.

That attitude quickly spread throughout the people, and soon the work on the temple ground to a halt. As a result, the temple remained in ruins for years while they were building their own houses and trying to establish their own lives.

That “defiled” attitude then infected everything else they did. It made everything they did unclean before God. Even when they did “religious” things, it meant nothing to God, because their attitudes were wrong.

So God warned them to give careful thought to how they lived.

He reminded them once again that when their attitudes had been wrong and they had left the temple in ruins, nothing went right in their lives.

But now he was promising them that because they had now repented and had changed their attitudes, blessing would come, saying,

From this day on I will bless you. (Haggai 2:19)

What do we take from this?

Let us never let any seed of sin or impurity take root within our hearts. If we do, like the Israelites, it will permeate throughout our lives and make everything we do defiled before God.

Paul put it this way,

Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. (1 Corinthians 5:6–7)

Lord, please root out any leaven that’s in my life. Let evil not spread within my heart, nor let it affect the things I do in service for you.

Instead, fill me with your holiness that everything I do may be acceptable in your sight. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, holiness, impurity

Exodus

Set apart for God

The apostle Paul wrote,

You are not your own. You were bought with a price. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)

These words are reflected in the words that were placed on the high priest’s forehead, “Holy to the Lord.”

The word “holy” basically means “set apart.” And as God’s priests, we are set apart for him.

We don’t belong to ourselves anymore. We belong to him.

There are several things in the consecration of the priests that expand on this idea.

First, the price that was paid.

A bull was to be sacrificed, and as it was, Aaron and his sons placed their hands on its head.

The picture was that the bull took their guilt and died for their sin.

In the same way, we were bought by the blood of Jesus. He took our guilt upon himself and died for our sins.

We also see a picture of this cleansing by the priests’ washing with water in verse 4.

After this, they were clothed.

In the same way, we are also clothed with Jesus Christ himself. He covers our guilt and shame with his blood.

There’s a beautiful picture of this in Zechariah 3:1–5.

Then, there was a burnt offering in which an entire ram was completely burnt up.

This was a picture of how we, as priests, are to offer our whole lives to God, holding nothing back from him.

Another ram was sacrificed, and its blood was put on the priests’ ears, thumbs, and toes.

It symbolized how their ears, hands, and feet were to be dedicated to the Lord’s service.

In other words, we, as God’s priests, should have ears that listen to our Lord’s words, hands that do what he has asked, and feet that go wherever he leads.

The interesting thing about this ram is that its fat, along with a loaf of bread without yeast, a cake, and a wafer, were waved before the Lord and then burned.

The breast and thigh of the ram, however, were given to Aaron and his sons to eat.

I believe the picture here is that while we give ourselves to God, he always gives back to us.

We may think that we are giving up a lot for him. But he gives back to us a life that satisfies.

I gave up a lot to leave Hawaii, come to Japan, and follow Christ. But I’ve gotten a lot more in return, and I have no regrets at all.

God promises the same for any who would come after him.

God’s promise at the end of all these commands was that he would meet with the Israelites, speak with them, and dwell among them. (Exodus 29:42–46)

In the same way, he promises to meet with us, speak with us, and dwell among us.

Are you holy to the Lord?

If you are a Christian, you should be. You were bought with a price, and you belong to him.

And so our prayer to him should be, “Lord, my ears are yours, my hands are yours, my feet are yours, and my life is yours.”

Tags Bible Original, Bible verse, holiness, set apart for God