"Set Apart"
So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God. Keep all my decrees by putting them into practice, for I am the Lord who makes you holy. (Leviticus 20:7, 8 NLT)
Several times in today's reading God commands his people to "set themselves apart as holy...for I am the Lord who makes you holy." These two seem to be at odds. The question begs to be asked, is it God who makes his people holy or do they? Is it something they are to actively pursue or does it pursue them? Is it the work of God or the work of man?
Although holiness is never the work of man, we do have a part to play. And although holiness is the work of God he commands us be holy! So the answer to who is responsible for our holiness is yes! It is God & us.
God has called us to do some things in order to be holy & to avoid some things to be holy. There are things we pursue & things we run from. Things we give ourselves to & things that we abstain from. This is God's heart for our holiness. So, we can be holy in what we are doing but be unholy in the fact that we aren't avoiding all we should be. Or, we can be avoiding plenty of evil but not do a positive thing that God has called us to & therefore not be holy. Or, maybe not as holy as the Lord desires. So, God has called us to pursue some things & avoid others!
What things are we doing right now that are hindering our holiness? What are some patterns, behaviors, activities, thoughts, or routines that we need to cut out?
Conversely, what are some things that God has clearly commanded us to do that we are neglecting? What patterns, behaviors, activities, thoughts, or routines do we need to actively make a part of our daily lives?
God has called us to pursue holiness in this way & without this effort of pursuing & avoiding we will not be holy!
On the other side of the coin, God makes it clear that he makes us holy. God is active in the lives of his people making them holy. This often times may not be in the way that we would prefer. Think about it, how does God cultivate holiness in his people?
When a worker wants to purify metal, namely gold, he puts it through extreme amounts of heat. He burns out the impurities so that the gold is more & more pure. He knows he is done when he can see his reflection in the gold.
In the same way, God often turns the heat up in our lives in various ways to bring out our impurities so that we will be holy. So that he can see his reflection in us. So that more & more his character is displayed in us.
God doesn't always do this however. He also makes us holy by revealing more & more of himself to us, like he does his people in Leviticus. God continually gives access to himself. He shows his people who he is & what he is like, giving them their pattern for holiness.
God uses many things to make us more like him, to make us more holy. And his Word promises he is doing this in those that are his. So the next time we think God is being unfair or untimely, consider that he may be making us holy. He may be doing this for our good & his glory.
Where is God making us more like him, more holy? What can we do to pursue holiness more in our lives?
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