Tag: set apart

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1 Thessalonians Devotionals

Holiness

1 Thessalonians

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)

Categories
Numbers Devotionals

A single misstep

Numbers

Something struck me here as I read the law concerning the Nazirites.

Nazirites were people who for a period in their lives set themselves apart for God.

There were several rules for the Nazirites, one of which was that they were to avoid dead things. They were not even to attend their own relatives’ funerals during that time.

There is a connection with us as Christians.

As people set apart for God, we are to separate ourselves from spiritually dead things, namely sin.

That is not to say we are not to separate ourselves from spiritually dead people (unless they are having undue influence on us), but we are to avoid their sin.

But what really strikes me is what happened if someone suddenly died in a Nazirite’s presence.

God said that in that case,

…do not count the initial period of consecration because it became defiled. (Numbers 7:12)

In short, for the Nazirite, one “defilement,” one contact with spiritually dead things, could wreck a whole period of being holy before God.

It’s the same for us as people standing before a holy God.

It was true for Adam and Eve. They were set apart for God as his people, but one sin ruined it all.

And it’s the same for us. Even if theoretically we could stay pure for the first 60 years of our lives, one sin would defile the entirety of our lives.

For the Nazirite, they had to start their consecration period all over again, and if it was completed perfectly, then it was accepted before God. That wasn’t necessarily difficult. It’s not every day that a person dies in your presence.

But for us, no matter how often we try to “do better,” we always fall into sin.

And that’s why we need a Savior, one who never did fall, and therefore could take the penalty for our sin, as the doves (or pigeons) did for the Nazirites.

One more thought I had as I thought about this passage. A person in ministry can have  a long and fruitful ministry, but have it wiped out by one misstep.

One infidelity.

One bad choice.

We’ve seen it happen too many times. For all of us in ministry, that is something that we always need to remember.

So for us especially, the words of Paul ring true.

Whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12)

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Acts

Set apart for God’s work

Acts

I remember the first time I ever considered being a missionary. I was talking with a friend, and somehow we got on the topic of missions. And I remember telling him, “I don’t think I’m called to be a missionary.”

My friend, responded, “How do you know? Did you ask him?”

“Well….no.”

That night (or the next, I can’t remember), I was talking with God and recalled my conversation with my friend.

“Tony was saying I should ask you about being a missionary.”

At that point, a thought popped into my mind. I know it wasn’t from me because there is no way I would have ever thought it.

God told me, “Yeah, ask me.”

I immediately replied, “I don’t want to ask you. What if you say yes?”

I then got into this long argument with God, the kind where he lets you talk and just kind of sits there in silence until you talk yourself out.

When I finally saw how fruitless it was to argue, I said, “Okay, Lord. Do you want me to go?”

I didn’t get an answer that night, but it was the starting point of my journey to Japan.

Two or three years later, I was seeking God’s direction for my life, and another friend encouraged me to make sure I had given everything up to God. That I had not taken anything back from him.

As I was driving home that night, God spoke again. “Bruce, you’ve taken Japan back from me.”

It was something I had not realized. I had gone to Japan on a short term mission, but when it was over, I didn’t think it was for me. And though it was not a conscious choice, I had taken it back from God.

So once again, I surrendered my will to his. I have now been in Japan for about 20 years.

Why do I mention all this?

It seems all so similar to what happened in this passage. Christians seeking God, and God saying, “Go. I’m setting you apart for my purposes. Go.”

It’s in this passage, by the way, that you see the clear personality of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit himself who tells them, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2)

And after more prayer and fasting, they went.

I’m still wondering about all the reasons God sent me here. I don’t think I’ve nearly accomplished all that God brought me here for. And so as I write this, I’m thinking I need to be seeking God on this once again. Why am I here?

But God has not just called me, or pastors, or missionaries. He has called you as well. He has set you apart for his purposes.

Do you know what those purposes are? And are you doing the things he is asking you to do?

Categories
Ezekiel

Setting apart our hearts for God

Ezekiel

In these two chapters, God gives the people instructions for when they return to the land.

A lot of this (as well as the things in chapters 43–44) are repetitions of instructions God had originally given Moses.

But as I look at this, two verses struck me.

God told the people,

When you allot the land as an inheritance, you are to present to the Lord a portion of the land as a sacred district…the entire area will be holy…

In the sacred district…will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. (Ezekiel 45:1, 3)

One of the first things the people were to do when they returned to the land and divided it among the tribes was to set apart a certain part of it to the Lord for his sanctuary.

God was basically saying to the people, “When you return to the land I’ve given you, set apart space for me. Remember that I’m dwelling among you and that I am your Lord.”

It reminds me of what Peter said,

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. (1 Peter 3:15)

What does that mean?

Part of it is making sure he has the throne of your heart. That you set apart the throne of your heart for him, and him alone.

But God gave other instructions to the people. To the princes, he said,

You have gone far enough, O princes of Israel!

Give up your violence and oppression and do what is just and right. (Ezekiel 45:9)

God tells us the same. In setting apart Christ as Lord, we are to give up our evil practices and do what is right before God.

He then told the priests to sacrifice a bull and use its blood to purify the sanctuary. This was not a one-time thing, either. It was done every year.

We too are to make sure that we keep a pure sanctuary, and we do that by confession. Praying for forgiveness for our sins and asking that the blood of Jesus cleanse us.

God told the priests to make atonement for people who sinned unintentionally or through ignorance.

We may not have meant to sin, but even so, all of our sins must be atoned for and cleansed by the blood of Jesus. And so as David prayed, so should we:

Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.

Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. (Psalm 19:12–13)

The people were also to remember the Passover, their deliverance from the land of Egypt.

We too should remember our deliverance from sin and Satan’s kingdom.

Too often, we forget why we set our hearts apart for him. It’s out of our love for him and all that he has done for us. As John wrote,

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

Chapter 46 repeats these themes as it goes over all the offerings that were offered. I’ve touched on this in another blog, but it’s worth repeating.

The burnt offering was used for atonement for sin, and it also showed a complete surrender to God (the offering was completely burnt up).

The grain offering was an offering of thanksgiving.

The fellowship offering again had the idea of atonement, with the animal taking on the guilt of the offerer, but also had the idea that with our sins taken care of, we now have fellowship with God.

One last point. When the people came to worship, they had to enter one gate (north or south) and exit the opposite gate.

To me this symbolizes that as we enter his presence to worship, we cannot help but come out changed.

Having been washed by Jesus’ blood, with hearts that have been justified and sanctified, and Jesus sitting on the throne of our hearts, we have become new people.

As Paul wrote,

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

As God’s new creations, let us set apart our hearts for him each day.