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As you come to the Holy One,washed by the precious Blood of the Lamb, Lord Jesus Christ, may you hear His voice speak to you very specifically, as we continue to meditate upon His promise of blessing to you, declaring,The Lord bless you out of Zion; May you see the peace of Jerusalem All the days of your life. [Psalms 128:5] The blessing of God is connected to the calling of God upon your life, and it includes also what is involved or is a part of it. And you have been saved, and called by God to a holy calling… [2 Timothy 1:9] Therefore, your calling is a blessing, and holiness is also a blessing.
It is to be separated by God, and dedicated to God, to live exclusively for the fulfillment of His purpose for your life. In the old covenant, there were golden vessels,holy, consecrated and used exclusively in the worship of God in His temple. And in the new covenant after the death and resurrection of the Lord, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, you yourself are a holy vessel of God, a holy saint together with all the saints, all believers who form part of the body of Christ, the church, or the called out ones.
As obedient children do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your behavior, since it is written, ‘Be holy, as I am holy’. [1 Peter 1:15,16] To be holy is not a suggestion; it is a command that comes from God. But the catch lies in Christ being the reference point to it. And it could seem too difficult, well nigh impossible in fact, if you have been too deeply hurt by someone. For in such a scenario being like Jesus in your conduct would involve forgiving the person unconditionally. But then, God never asks you to anything that He has not done for you already; and He has forgiven all your sins, past, present and future, on the Cross of Calvary. And what is impossible with man, becomes possible with God. As a child of God, Christ is your wisdom, and your strength, your redemption and your holiness. And you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
Created by the Lord Almighty to be a human being, it is your being, as a child of God, that determines your behavior. For, a behavioral system that has been ingrained in you for many years, will quickly collapse when it is not supported by a value system from within you. It is how a routine of going to church on a Sunday has disintegrated in the lives of many, due to the unavoidable but temporary break that happened owing to the pandemic! It becomes very patently obvious that your being is the higher entity that needs to influence your behavior. The dictum of the scriptures is ‘to be holy’, emphasizing your being. And ‘as He is holy’ describes who God is, His very being, that is holy.
The world view is that man is essentially good when he is born, and it is his unnatural and evil environment that results in his wrong behavior. A change of scenery would do the job of making him good once again is the solution it offers,and it is one that you and I very well know is not the truth. Man is born with a sinful nature, something that is wrong in his inner being, deep within him that needs the hand of God working in his being to bring a change in his behavior. But it is in the pretext of arming a good man against a bad man, that the gun lobby survives abroad, even in schools that are essentially places of learning. And it can also be seen that huge scams are craftily executed more often than not by the one who is literate, and not illiterate. But it is the knowledge of the Holy One, that gives you true understanding. For even in a land where all your external needs are met, and happiness is at hand, your heart may know its own bitterness and despair, as seen in some countries of the world today. And it is the word view, that comes by abiding in the word to know the truth, that sets you free. For, he whom the Son sets free, is free indeed. [John 8:31,36]
Creation – fall – redemption, is the summary of it. And let the word of God define, describe and bring a demonstration of His grace in your life that results in a transformation that encompasses true holiness in you. It begins at the very beginning, with the creation of man, When God created man He made him in the likeness of God. [Genesis 5:1] And then came the fall, as Adam and Eve fell prey to the craftiness of the evil one, and sin, that led to a separation from God, and corrupted the original design of God. Therefore, When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness and named him Seth. [Genesis 5:3] It is why our children are born in our likeness, that includes man’s sinful nature, his propensity to sin. You and I are born into this world fully loaded with the negative effects of sin. But the word of God is powerful to revolutionize your life and lead you to experience redemption.
Sin can lure and deceive you in unexpected ways, even when you have all that you need in life. It was so in the life of king David, who discerned, acknowledged and repented of it, to describe the working of sin in him – Behold I was brought forth in iniquity; In sin did my mother conceive me. [Psalms 51:5] He took responsibility, without shifting the blame, and found restoration. And the apostle Paul too, goes on to to describe very honestly, the sin principle in him, that led to wrong behavior -I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. [Romans 7:21] And he also declares in whom he could have victory over it – Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. [Romans 7:25] The prophet Jeremiah has described the condition of the inner man, in no uncertain terms; for the bible is painfully honest when it needs to be – The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; Who can understand it ? I the Lord test the heart and search the mind, To give to every man, according to his ways, And the fruit of his deeds. [Jeremiah 17:9,10]
Salvation did not come cheap. It comes to you through Christ alone, to cleanse and save. But there could still be remnants of what you once were, when you were dead in your transgressions and sins. [Titus 3:3] Salvation assures you of God’s presence with you. But He can work in you to transform you into His likeness, only as you yield to Him, for He never forces you. And it is His grace that gives you the strength to do so. As you read the word of God, He gives in you the desire to change. And it is all about His love for you. The fullest expression of it was seen on the Cross of Calvary. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us not by works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy by the washing of regeneration, and renewal of the Holy Spirit. [Titus 3:5] His mercy gives you a new start, and a new way of living, when the world will say, ‘just turn the page over; only for it to be scribbled once again! The world’s philosophy can only promise to reform, or rearrange what is already there. But God transforms you; and only He can.
It is by the Holy Spirit who has been given to help you, even as you co operate with Him, to heal you, give you true peace, and holiness that makes you fruitful. May you draw near to the Refiner’s Fire, as your heart’s one desire, choosing to be holy, and ready to do His will, as you pray – Father, we acknowledge that what is not possible in our own strength, becomes possible in You, for You are our holiness. And your command is in itself our enabling to be holy, separated and dedicated unto You in the power of the Holy Spirit. May your eyes see if there is any hurtful way in us, and continue to transform us to lead us in the everlasting way. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
