Leviticus 19:1-2 (NIV)
19 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak
to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your
God, am holy.
Jehovah is a holy God, and He expects us to be a holy
people. When Adam and Eve sinned and disobeyed God, the consequences of their
sin caused mankind to be separated from God forever. Jesus Christ came as our
holy sacrifice, making grace available to us, because we fall short of keeping
the law and the requirements of holiness. Where sin abounds, grace abounds all
the more, but that does not give us permission to live an unholy life. We are called
to be holy as He is holy. When we fall short and turn back to the Lord, He
forgives, cleanses, and restores us. Holiness is not something we achieve;
holiness is something that we must yearn for. Only God is holy, but as His
people, set apart, He calls us to strive for holiness.
How do we do this? It is not by our “works,” not by our
formulas for holiness (to fast and pray more often), but by our willingness to
gaze at the beauty of our Lord. As we gaze at HIS holiness, we become aware of
our sinfulness. Like Isaiah, we say: Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined! For I am
a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips and my eyes
have seen the King.
(Isaiah 6:5)
May the cry of your heart be like King David: One thing I
ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in
His temple. (Psalm 27:4)
Thought for today:
What prevents me from engaging in right thinking, right actions, right speech?
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