" Be holy, for I am holy.' 1 Peter 1:13-21 NKJV
God is calling His church to action. God is calling His church to be ready. God is calling is church to prepare to be holy. If you don't want to live a defeated life, you must roll up your sleeves and be determined to focus your life on Jesus. He wants His people holy. Holiness is an inward transformation; it is cleanliness of the soul - mind, will and emotions. This manifests itself in obedient living. Holiness sets us apart from the world. We are not living for the world, we are living for God and people should be able to see this; as strange as it may seem to them.
The term 'gird up the loins,' was an image well known to Peter and the people around him at that time. The people had to gather up their robes to the waist, so that they could move easier and not trip up. 'Gird' means to prepare for action. We as people of God, need to do similar; we need to gather up our thoughts and our bad habits and behaviours and move unhindered in God's grace, ready for action.
Jesus is holy and yet, He made Himself nothing - an outcast and in the eyes of the authorities, a troublemaker. And yet, He did this for you and I. He was prepared to give it all up for us, so that we would have the chance to live in Heaven when we die. He knew that our sin would keep us apart from His Father and with it, we had no chance of eternal life. Therefore, He gave Himself up to die in our place so that, we could be saved as we accepted Him as our Lord.
Tell me, is it too much to ask to live holy lives for Him? Is it too much to live separate from the world working for Jesus? Is it too much for us to give up our lives too, and dedicate them to Jesus, to be His special agent in this evil world?
He is calling His church to action. He is calling His church to be ready. He is calling you - child of God, to be holy, as He is holy. Will you take Him up on the offer?
Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard
No comments:
Post a Comment
Leave a message