Are you holy? What does it mean to be holy? Does the image of a perfect person come to mind? Do you think of an older person in your church? Do you think of perfection? Do you believe that only God can be holy?
Being holy does require commitment on our part. We must commit to following God’s will and commands. We are to be humble and pious. We cannot be holy on our own. We must rely on God in our pursuit of holiness. Only he can make us holy.
When we hear that only God can make us holy, some of us give up. We don’t say we give up. Instead, we say, “I am who I am.” We stop trying to change to become the person God desires us to be. Being holy requires us to put an effort into it AND God makes us holy.
No, it isn’t physical work. It is a work of the heart. It is a decision. It is dedicating our life to God. It is discerning God’s will for our lives and following it. It is submitting to God’s commands. It is not thinking more of ourselves than we ought. It is holding tight to God’s teaching rather than falling prey to world’s falsities.
Lest we think the teachings taught to Israel before Jesus was born are no longer relevant, we must know that many of them are referenced by Jesus and the Apostles. The Apostle Peter repeats today’s passage in 1 Peter 1:16. We are to commit to being holy. God desires it. It comes as a result of loving God and following Jesus Christ.
I pray we all commit to being holy. I pray we choose to follow God’s will for our lives. I pray each one of us decide to obey God’s commands and to be humble before a holy God. Be humble. Be pious. Obey God’s commands. Follow Jesus. Hold on to God’s teachings. Be holy.
Leviticus 19:2 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.”
Marty Pressey 