Simply Put: Be Holy

I heard it again this morning...be holy.   It seems those words are every where I turn.  Maybe God is trying to tell me something...hmm....

This isn't the first time He's called a people to be holy.  He called Israel to be holy from the very beginning.

God intentionally desired Israel to be different.  They were to be "set apart."  For example, Israel's government didn't even include a king. That was unheard of in Old Testament times.  Instead, God was their King, and they were to follow His reign.  He gave them judges like Gideon and Samson to protect them and take them into battle.  He gave them priests like Samuel to lead them. He gave them rules for their health - ways of living to keep bacteria and disease at bay - many of which we still use today.  He provided for their every need.  After all, that's what a good King does.

And He did so, so that Israel would be "set apart."  They would be holy.  They would be intentionally different.  Of course, because of this, the other nations would have looked at Israel and seen that their God was the one true God.  They would be amazed at how this massive group of people could not only survive, but thrive in the Middle East.

Yet, Israel wasn't satisfied with God as their King.  As a matter of fact, they chose to disregard Him completely.  They wanted someone physical...someone they could see...someone who would make them be "like all the other nations," (I Sam. 8:20).

They didn't want the holiness of God.  They wanted the comradery of man.

I don't blame them.  We do the same thing today, don't we?  We choose to be like the world around us, instead of standing up and standing out for God's holiness.  We don't want to ruffle someone's feathers by not agreeing with them.  We'd rather blend in with the rest of the crowd and NOT be seen.  We'd rather soothe their minds with apologetic phraseology, than live according to the principles found in the Word of God.

This should not be.  We, as Believers, must be so careful NOT to lose our identity with God.  We must be careful to protect His holiness with our lives, and not apologize for His Words and who He has called us to be.

I Peter 1:16 says we are to be holy as God is holy.  Imagine that...the children of God are to look like and act like, well, their Father.   And do you know why...because it stands to reason that when we emulate the Father, people are drawn to Him.  "Other nations" - our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends and family members are in wonder at our lives, but not because of us.  They know that no human could handle life with such grace.  It must come from somewhere else...from someONE else...someONE they need to know.  

Father, help me to be holy.  Help me emulate Your behavior in every situation...Your love...Your compassion...Your mercy...Your Truth...so that others will KNOW that You are my King.   Thank You, Father.  Thank You.