Be Holy, because He is Holy

In my devotions today, I read 1 Peter 1 which is a great passage of Scripture. In God's Word, the apostle Peter tells fellow Christians to be holy. Why? Because it is written: "Be holy, because I [the Lord] am holy" from Leviticus 11:44,45. And my friends when God calls us to something, I have learned its usual important to listen! The Lord is Holy. If we are to be His people, we also must focus on what is holy, do what is holy, and trust in what is holy.

We all know that holiness is good. Being without sin, doing what is right, finding forgiveness in God...These are all things that might flash through our minds when we think about "being holy". However, living out a life of holiness for anyone that has ever tried is often much more difficult isn't it? However, it is here that Peter gives us the best example of holiness Jesus Christ, the perfect lamb of God without blemish or defect, offered His blood as a sacrifice for our sins. This is where we find our holiness. This is where we focus our attention. This is how we can live holy lives through the spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, living in us.

1 Peter 13-25: Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy."

Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For,

“All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word that was preached to you.

Doing what is good and clinging to what is true

Doing what is good sounds so simple. It would be simple if pride, strife, jealousy, and sin had not come into the world...but sadly our world is no longer perfect, pure, holy, true, and good. So each of us struggle daily with living a life devoted to God or a life enslaved by our sinful desires. Thank God, however, that He gave us a choice. Without the life and death of Jesus Christ, we would not even have the power to choose good over evil. Our Savior bought with His very own life a precious gift. Namely, He gave us the ultimate "present" in every sense of that word. His life is a model for our present life. His death is a reminder for our present life. His resurrection is a promise of future life apart from our present life. Thus, Jesus Christ has given us the power to "do what is good and cling to what is true". I pray that we never ever forget what that means in our life - God gave us a choice.

Titus 3:3-8 says: "At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone."

My very last New Year resolution as a single

I've been meaning to write a blog post on New Year resolution for the past week now. And it just hit me today quite suddenly that this might be my very last year for personal New Year resolutions...You might be asking what does that mean? Well, for me it means, its the last year that I will be planning goals solely based on my intentions. Of course, since becoming a follower of Christ, I have tried every New Year to seek God's vision for me for the upcoming year. But what I mean is that this summer, I will no longer be single and by next year 2013, I will not just be making plans for me, myself, and I...but for my wife, my family, and eventually my own children. Its a lot to think about for the beginning of the year...

However, I am so excited to marry my fiance Leah who has filled my life with joy, peace, and laughter. Psalm 66:5 says, "Come see what God has done, how awesome His works in man's behalf!" And indeed, I can see what God has done and I am truly thankful. So for this year New Year resolution, I want to take all that have learned in my life these last 23 and now almost 24 years of my life. And apply all the experience, knowledge, and wisdom to becoming a loving husband, a caring minister, and eventually a good father.

I imagine that if I could focus my three goals into three words it would be: Marriage, Ministry, and Missions. I pray God would help me begin a beautiful marriage relationship with Leah. I ask God to give me vision, patience, and energy for His ministry. Finally, I want to act on whatever mission(s) that God places before me, Leah, and my church to continue shining as a beacon of light into the world.