What do these things all have in common? THEY DON’T BELONG TOGETHER! 🙂 You can try and argue with me about bacon and chocolate, but I’ll win 😉 I know it’s a silly list of examples, but I think it makes the point 😀

I want to be clear in communicating that this post/discussion is just as much for me as it is for anyone else. I am writing this to help me seek God and how to lead a holy life for Him and I hope it can benefit you as well.

I started a Bible reading plan with a group of people from different parts of the country this year to be able to discuss together and keep us accountable in staying on top of it.

In our reading, I’ve been really noticing a lot of the writings talking about God’s expectation and desire for us to be holy. I’ve thought about holiness a lot but I continue to come across it in a way that stands out to me and I believe God has been wanting me to take a deeper look into holiness and how it should look in my life.

So, then, what is holiness and how are we supposed to be holy? How can we lead holy lives?

In Leviticus 19:2, God tells Moses “Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”

2 things stand out to me here. First, we have the perfect example of holiness in God. God is not saying “do as I say, not as I do.” but rather “I am modeling how to live to you, so follow my example!” I think this is something we should not overlook in our pursuit to lead holy lives.

Second, what does it mean to “be holy”? Holy here means to be consecrated, pure, set apart, a saint, sacred (ceremonially or morally). God expects us to be pure and set apart, consecrated for a single purpose: to live our lives like God shows us in His great character.

In reading through Exodus, Leviticus and other Old Testament Scripture, you will see God call people to holiness multiple times. He gives clear expectations on foods they should eat, people groups they should marry and is EXTREMELY clear in the fact that they are to worship no other God but Him.

So, for us, holiness. What is it? I think that’s a question you have to be willing to ask yourself and let God direct you down the path to discover how that needs to look for you.

The most important thing is that we need to make sure living for God and living like God in His character, love, morality, etc… is our goal. God made it possible to be holy like Him because He gave us the blueprint, the schematic on what holiness looks like. We are not to be tainted or trying to be “a little bit of this and a little bit of that”. No, 100% devoted to God.

Like the Israelites’ would make their own God’s or worship neighboring peoples’ God’s, we can tend to be just as caught up in idolatry and worshiping other things before God.

Is there anything you need to get rid of in your life that’s keeping you from being completely set apart on wholly living your life in holy dedication to God? Talk with God about it and listen to what He has to say.