Today's Reading: Leviticus 11 & 12
♪ “Holiness,
holiness is what I long for; Holiness is what I need; Holiness, holiness is
what You want from me”♪ *
God's
holiness is a central aspect of His nature, and it is one of the key attributes
that sets Him apart from everything else in the universe. It is also something
He wants to be an attribute of our lives.
The holiness
we are to exhibit is not our own, but the holiness of Christ in us. We are not
holy and no amount of human effort can make us so. We can no more make
ourselves holy than a dead man can make himself alive. We need the work of
Christ in us if we are to realize the challenge of being holy for He is holy.
It is Christ in us Who will manifest His holiness if we will but yield our flesh
to Him. This is not a human operation, it is a spiritual one brought about by
the work of God deep within our soul.
Becoming
holy is a two part process: God’s part and our part. Our part is to stay out of
God’s way – to yield and surrender to Him. When we put ourselves under His
care, we surrender our own ideas, will, and pride to Him. His part is to
transform us into the holy image of Jesus Christ. This is not a once-and-for-all
transaction, but a daily, moment-by-moment transition from reliance on our flesh
to control by His Spirit.
If you and I
want to be made holy, then we must willingly surrender ourselves to His care
and actively seek the Spirit’s work of transformation. Holiness is God’s
gracious work. Grace is God’s unmerited favor. It’s His loving posture toward
all people. God does not make a person holy because they are worthy or good;
God makes us holy because of His mercy and our faith in Him. This means that holiness
is God’s free gift (Ephesians 2:8).
Making us holy is a work
that the Holy Spirit initiates and sustains (Galatians 3:1–3; 5:16–18). And He won't stop this work until we are complete in Christ. Philippians
1:6 says, "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you,
will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ
Jesus returns."
* Scott Underwood: “Take My Life (Holiness)” © Copyright 1994 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing (ASCAP)
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