A couple of weeks ago, I had a reconstructive surgery on my face to close the wound left by the removal of a large skin cancer. I arrived early at the surgery center to go through the pre-opp set up. At the appointed time, I was taken into the operating room where I met with the surgeon and the anesthesiologist. Once again, the surgeon explained the procedure and they began to apply the anesthesia. As I looked around the operating room I noticed how clean and sterile the room was.
As we all know, cleanliness is very important in the hospital. In fact, the closer you get to the operating room, the more important it is. Doctors in an operating room know that the smallest amount of impurity can contaminate the procedure. Great effort is made to sterilize the equipment so that all impurity is removed and no infection can set in.
If human doctors go through great detail in an operating room to make sure the environment is free from contamination, then it not to surprise us that God calls us to purity in our lives.
1 Peter 1:14-16 - “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.”
I know these aren’t popular verses today, but this is the Word of God to us. Peter calls us to live holy lives before the Lord.
So, what is holiness? What does it mean to be holy?
First, let’s look at the holiness of God. He is absolutely perfect. There is no trace of sin within him. He is high above us all. No one can compare to Him. God’s holiness spreads through His entire being and shapes all His attributes. His love is a holy love, His mercy is holy mercy, and even His anger and wrath are holy anger and holy wrath.
The biblical word “holiness” means to be “set apart.” In the Old Testament when God called the Israelites to be holy, it meant they were separate and distinct from the other nations as they served the one true God and obeyed his commands.
Today as believers, we need to be "set apart" from the world unto the Lord. We need to be living by God’s standards, not the world’s. God isn’t calling us to be perfect, but to be distinct from the world.
Our faith in Jesus calls for us to live by a different set of values than the unbelieving world around us. We seek to honor God by living lives that are obedient to His Word. We let God’s Word define morality. We don’t follow popular opinion, we follow the Word of God.
Listen to these words from 1 Peter once again. God is saying to us: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Here’s another interpretation. God says, “Be like me.” That’s right. God wants us to be like him. Holiness is at the essence of who God is, and God says, “Be like me.”
To be holy is to be like Jesus. It’s to be like Jesus in our attitude. It’s to be like Jesus in our thoughts. It’s to be like Jesus in our conversations. It’s to be like Jesus in our actions, choices, and decisions. It’s to be like Jesus in our motives, and in our character.
When I see people who have known my family for a long time, I often hear them say, “You look so much like your Dad.” It’s in my genes. There is a family resemblance. If you and I are Christians, there ought to be a family resemblance. God’s children ought to reflect their Heavenly Father to the world.
We want to live in such a way that God is honored and glorified in the way we live. With true humility in our hearts, let’s live so that others may see the Jesus who lives within us.
Today’s Challenge: Determine to let your daily prayer be, “Lord, I want to be more like you.” As we pray this prayer, the spirit of God will lead and guide us in each area of life.
