God is different from humanity in so many ways—in His purity, His righteousness, and His inability to ignore sin. This is why our culture is so enraged about the holiness of God. They want a God who is like them—someone they can manipulate and who will endorse their sinfulness. This is why these worldly people are dragging Christians into courtrooms trying to remove all semblance of God's holiness from the public sphere, whether the Ten Commandments from government buildings or prayer from schools—anything that reminds them of the righteous otherness of God.
When we forget that God's will for us is to be holy, we easily fall into temptation.
When we forget that God's will for us is to be different and forget the call to be holy, we easily fall into temptation. We begin rationalizing our sin. We start conforming to the image of the world instead of the image of Jesus.
However, when we obey the will of God in our lives, we become different from the world around us. Different will not always be easy or popular, and some people will condemn or taunt us for our holiness. But others will notice that we have peace in the midst of trouble and joy in the midst of difficult circumstances. They will be curious about what sets us apart. For when we seek purity, forgiveness, love, and compassion, we are imitating our heavenly Father and shining His light into this dark world.
Prayer: God, I pray that as I walk in obedience to You, I will become more and more different from the world so that others will notice and be drawn to You. Help me to never lose Your vision of holiness for my life. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
"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).
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