Pastor Ellen Bilsborough
“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.” 1 Peter 1:15-16
We can’t study the Bible without realizing an important fact; the importance of holiness to God!
This has never been a popular subject to teach on. We look at our Savior as Holy and we can never obviously measure up to His greatness. Aren’t you glad we serve a Savior who already knows that about us. He knows us in our weaknesses and frailty and still loves us, intercedes for us daily and will never give up on us. Not for one moment. When Peter wrote this text inspired by the Holy Spirit, he was clearly stating the character of God and the command of God. This is not an optional thing. Be Holy, because I am Holy. There are believers who say “I am willing to consider this verse and if I like it, I will apply it” There is something wrong with our spiritual condition if we can presume that if we like it, it then matters.
This is harmful thinking. God has never instructed us to weigh His desires and His commandments to us in our own judgment and then decide what we want to do about them. Our verse today has another key point and that is, it says be Holy in all you do. Everything we do is so important. God always looks at our motives. At times we may be doing the right thing but if our motive isn’t pure or Holy we have lost our reward.
I want to encourage you today, to simply give God your very best with a sincere and pure heart before Him. God looks at quality more than quantity. He wants our heartfelt devotion to Him with our desire to live Holy before Him. We strive to be more like Him, and when we fall short, He says, “it’s ok, because I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
We can’t study the Bible without realizing an important fact; the importance of holiness to God!
This has never been a popular subject to teach on. We look at our Savior as Holy and we can never obviously measure up to His greatness. Aren’t you glad we serve a Savior who already knows that about us. He knows us in our weaknesses and frailty and still loves us, intercedes for us daily and will never give up on us. Not for one moment. When Peter wrote this text inspired by the Holy Spirit, he was clearly stating the character of God and the command of God. This is not an optional thing. Be Holy, because I am Holy. There are believers who say “I am willing to consider this verse and if I like it, I will apply it” There is something wrong with our spiritual condition if we can presume that if we like it, it then matters.
This is harmful thinking. God has never instructed us to weigh His desires and His commandments to us in our own judgment and then decide what we want to do about them. Our verse today has another key point and that is, it says be Holy in all you do. Everything we do is so important. God always looks at our motives. At times we may be doing the right thing but if our motive isn’t pure or Holy we have lost our reward.
I want to encourage you today, to simply give God your very best with a sincere and pure heart before Him. God looks at quality more than quantity. He wants our heartfelt devotion to Him with our desire to live Holy before Him. We strive to be more like Him, and when we fall short, He says, “it’s ok, because I will never leave you nor forsake you.”