Date: February 27, 2011 6:25 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Promise of Holiness
Promise of Holiness
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy" (Leviticus 19:1-2, KJV).
Scripture Focus: John 17:6-19
I found this verse quite daunting when I first came to Christ. The standard of being holy as God is holy seemed to be far beyond my capacity. Then I came to see it as a promise as much as it is a command. It is precisely because God is holy that we will be holy.
In Jesus' prayer in our reading, He sets Himself apart, dedicates Himself to one goal: the saving of His people so that we might be set apart, holy, to Him.
The Father delights to answer Jesus' prayer. Jesus living in us by His Holy Spirit will be holy in and through us. Think not of being a haloed, statue of a saint, but rather of being, as one man has described, "the glory of God, a man fully alive." This holiness is authoritative, powerful and active, engaging the world and loving people without reserve.
This is the holiness of Jesus which He will exercise in us to defeat all the enemy's attempts to drag us down into sin and despair. Take heart, as I have!
Insight: Jesus has promised to make us holy. He lives in us as our new self. Are we strengthening our old self with unholy influences?
No comments:
Post a Comment