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;”
1 Peter 1:14-15 NIV
Back in my college days a group of my friends and I went to Olive Garden for dinner. As we were waiting to be seated, we stood in a small circle laughing, joking, and enjoying each other’s company. A woman that I did not know walked up to our group and asked me a question: “Are you Jim’s daughter?” At first, I thought, “uh oh… what have I done wrong? My dad lives two hours away from Columbia. How does she know whose daughter I am?” I must have looked shocked. She continued, “You have to be! You look just like him. Your mannerisms are just like his. It is obvious that you are his.” Then she continued, “I am your dad’s first cousin. You probably don’t even know me, but I know your dad.”
Our verses this week for WOW are once again about holiness. To be holy is to be Godlike; it is to have a will and disposition of the heart that is like His. When we are holy, our character will be like God’s. God has called us to “be holy in all you do.” He desires us to be holy as He is holy. God gives us His holiness as a gift. It is His sanctifying work in us.
A holy man is pure in heart and free from sin and sinful affections; he has a heart conformed to the image of God and is set apart for His sacred use or to the service or worship of God. We learned last week that this is an exclusive relationship. It is a relationship of belonging to God. When we belong to God, we are strictly His, fully possessed by Him. We display our belonging to God as His holy, set apart, people by our obedience. Obedience is evidence of a heart that is holy. When we have a holy heart, we will not live like we used to, conforming to evil desires, or our fleshly self-life. Instead, we will obey God. We will display to all of those we are around everything that God is: His love, His joy, His peace, His holiness and more.
As I am writing these words, they challenge me. Perhaps they challenge you too? I wonder, am I displaying not only God’s love, joy, and peace in my life, but His holiness? Is His holiness evidenced within my life by my obedience to Him, or am I still living my life conformed to the evil desires I had when I lived in ignorance of God and His ways?
Jesus came as our invitation to be holy. He lived, died, was buried, and rose again so that we could know and experience Him fully in a relationship of oneness. He provides all that we need to live connected to God, united with Him. When we accept Him as the Lord of our lives and totally submit our heart to Him, He works in us to produce a loving obedience to God’s Word. As we allow God to circumcise our hearts, the holy heart God has given us will be revealed more and more.
May our hearts long for His holiness, and may we pursue His holiness by submitting our hearts to be transformed into His likeness. As we live our lives for God, we will maintain our holiness moment by moment through active love for, faith in, and obedience to Him. We will fully realize how wonderful it is to be His “obedient children.” We will be in a close and intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father, and we will display Him to everyone we encounter. They will find themselves asking us, “Are you God’s daughter? You have to be! Your mannerisms are just like His. It is obvious that you belong to Him.”
Our song this week is by Charity Gayle, “Because of Jesus.” Because He came, because we believe in Him as the Son of God, our Redeemer, we have been redeemed and made holy, as God is holy. Because of Jesus, and His work in us, we may be holy in all we do.
Love,
Janet Nelson, Devoted and Determined
https://mailchi.mp/wowjcmo/wow-devotion-john-6218677?e=6c56f70e45
Your Love 