Be Ye Holy

"You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy."
Leviticus 19:2 (NLT)

"But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, 'You must be holy because I am holy."
I Peter 1:15-16 (NLT)

When I was a young school girl we all knew when Ash Wednesday had arrived. All of our friends who claimed the Roman Catholic faith arose earlier than usual to attend mass before school and receive a mark on their foreheads, a smear of dark ash in the shape of a cross.

The appearance of this mark prompted all of us to ask, "What are you giving up for Lent?" I'm not sure my Protestant mind grasped the meaning of "giving up something for Lent." What we saw in our friends was the inevitable choice to stop doing something that looked significant but was, in fact, easy to do. "I'm giving up chocolate," said my friend who rarely indulged in that treat. "I'm giving up bubble gum," said my friend who wore braces on her teeth. What looked like serious self-denial was negated by the lack of interest in the indulgence given up.

Prominent in my time of devotions and Bible study this week has been this message, "Be ye holy for I am Holy." God is the standard of holiness. Jesus is the Father's holiness with "skin on." The Holy Spirit is my "Holiness Helper," the One who teaches me what holiness is, gives me the desire to be holy and makes me able to be transformed into a holy vessel, equipped to glorify God, fulfilling His plan to create me in His image.

The LORD has articulated a challenge to my heart, especially as the Easter season nears. Remembering that my loving Father does not place upon me a burden too heavy to bear, I understand that I need to ask Him to help me examine my daily life and identify what I embrace that isn't holy. An attitude? A thought? An action?

The beauty in this process of working with the Holy Spirit is that He identifies a special area where He is already working in me to give me the power to change...to give up...let go of...unholiness in favor of holiness. It is His work and my choice. If I love Him my response is to obey..."Be ye holy for I am holy."

Abba Father, I yearn to obey and be holy as You are holy. Each morning I ask You to guide me in holiness throughout the day. Convict me quickly when I act to please myself instead of You, that I may repent and walk in ever closer fellowship with You.

How about you? Will you join me in this daily challenge to holiness?

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."
Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)

"The LORD will work out His plans for my life--for Your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever." Psalm 138:8a (NLT)

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day Christ Jesus returns." Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

by Marilyn Allison

The Fruit of Waiting

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against these things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives." Galatians 5:22-25

Waiting, so often, if not always, gets our attention. Immediately I'm in tune with myself. My priorities, My needs and My desires quickly rise above everything. What is the value in waiting? Is it of any value to Me? Or do I see waiting as a thing that simply interferes with what I think is best for Me?

The Bible talks about "waiting" over 100 times, mentions "patience" 34 times. Clearly we can understand the frequency of this exhortation illustrates the fact that patience is not a strong suit among the majority. And yet, God's word says patience is one of the grand graces He gives His children when we abide in the Holy Spirit.

When I yield to His will, not only is it better for others, but fruitfully better for me. Natural consequences of irritability, anxiety, agitation and frustration are banished. And for the LORD, He is most glorified as I express His character to a world that knows very little the supernatural power of waiting.

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love." Romans 5:3-5

by Dana Lange

New...Not Glued

My New Year's Resolution is: allow myself to be new...not glued. Sometimes, I imagine picking up the broken pieces of my life and clumsily offering them up to God. I then imagine that He will piece them back together, making something beautiful. Well, almost beautiful...if it weren't for all those cracks showing through the "glued me" crashing to the ground. I will shatter all over again.

But, this is how I view myself. This is not how God sees me. I am not the product of a clumsy repair job. That is the nasty lie of the enemy.

We must remember what the Word of God says...if we have Jesus, we are a new creation.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17

The new has come. It does not say, "If anyone is in Christ, He will put them back together." Don't get me wrong. Jesus wants all of our broken pieces. He wants us to recognize the mess on the floor and lay our shards at His feet. But this is not so He can piece them back together. He takes the bits and pieces and exchanges them for something entirely new.

He wants to exchange our brokenness with His fullness.

Truth is, I do not want broken pieces to be a part of my life's fabric anymore. If they are, then I am not fully a vessel of Christ. I want my heart to echo John the Baptist, "He must become greater; I must become less." (John 3:30).

Sometimes we like to romanticize our past hurts and mistakes. We like to think they contribute to "who" we think we are. In reality, our focus should not be on WHO we are, but on WHOSE we are.

Our past decisions and experiences no longer define us if we are children of God. Our Father defines us. Our salvation defines us. 

In Isaiah 43:18-19, God encourages His people, 

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?"

God wants to do a new thing in us. Are we too focused on the things of the past to perceive it? Are we so focused on the repaired vase on the shelf that we miss the brilliant new one being offered to us?

A repaired life is not a bad thing. Satan would have us happily sit in this complacent truth. He assures us, "Repaired is enough. It is more than you deserve." That is true. A repaired life is more than what we deserve. But, who are we to be so bold as to dash and diminish the work of the Cross? And, even more so, belittle the power of the resurrection?!

"We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father we too may live a new life." Roman 6:4

We will never understand the self sacrificing , all consuming love of our Savior. We can at least understand the foolishness of clinging to a repaired life instead of passionately grasping ahold of a new life. A new life that our Jesus died and rose from the dead in order to pour over us. My prayer this year is that I accept His beautifully gracious gift of a new life every day.  Every day I want to wake up and pray, "Jesus, today, make me new."

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20

by Jenna Masters

God Is Near

"If you sin, how does that affect God? Even if you sin again and again, what effect will it have on Him? If you are good, is this some great gift to Him? What could you possibly give Him? No, your sins affect only people like yourself, and your good deeds also affect only humans. People cry out when they are oppressed. They groan beneath the power of the mighty. Yet they don't ask, 'Where is God my Creator, the One who gives songs in the night? Where is the One who makes us smarter than the animals and wiser than the birds of the sky?' And when they cry out, God does not answer because of their pride. But it is wrong to say God doesn't listen, to say the Almighty isn't concerned. You say you can't see Him, but He will bring justice if you will only wait. You say He does not respond to sinners with anger and is not greatly concerned about wickedness. But you are talking nonsense, Job. You have spoken like a fool." Job 35:6-16 (NLT)

The LORD is always near to us and ready to forgive us of our sins (1John 1:9). We should never doubt the love God has for us and we should know that His love remains constant in all seasons of our lives. God is our Stronghold, our Defender, our Rock. Our confidence in Him should never sway and our confidence in His plans for us should never diminish.

If God has proven Himself not to be a liar or a deceiver (1 Peter 2:22), then what part of us would assume He'd start now? If we treat God as if we believe He is distant, unforgiving, ashamed of us and fickle in His love toward us, then why believe in Him at all? Why worship a God who does not accept us or truly love us when He says He does? God's Grace and Mercy lift us above other religions. We are not a religion; we have a relationship with our Creator.

God desires a close relationship with us just as He and Moses had in Exodus 33:11. Be bold and confident in God and come to His throne of grace unashamed and ready to move on from sin (Hebrews 4:14-15). No sin, no person, no circumstance can separate us from God (Romans 8:38), unless we turn away from Him and no longer walk with Him. It's a choice, a decision to be in a relationship with Him.

Do you want it?

If you have weighed out the cost of being a follower of Christ and still choose Him, then keep fighting the good fight. Keep running the race. Do not give  up.

Because...He hasn't given up on you.

by Chloe Ball

Looking To A New Year

The new year is always a time of reflection and that's a good thing. Look at things that went well, consider those for whom you have been praying and ask God to continue His sanctification and the things that need to be changed.

I was thinking about some of my "big" personal moments this year, where God met me in a special way in special times of need.

My Biblical influences this year:

1) The Apostle John. The writings of John have been a big influence on me since before I came to Romania. God takes things from John's life and writing, and shows me how to apply them personally. He is taking me from being the disciple who wanted to "call down fire," to the disciple who, at the end of his life, said ,"Beloved, I give you a new commandment, that you love one another." That's not an easy thing. You are often given lots of testings, like people cutting in front of you in line and when you drive (Cluj has crazy, crazy traffic!). I just keep praying, "God, help me get an 'A' on this test; I don't want to keep re-taking it!"

2) Jehoshaphat.  Verses of encouragement show the beauty of absolute surrender and worship when the battle/enemy is too great.  Also, when things are going good, don't turn your heart to wrong places...keep the course.

3) Deborah. I think she is the most misunderstood/misinterpreted woman in the Bible. Oh, that I would be "that" woman of God who speaks His words and is entrusted. That I would be the woman my husband wants at his side in the battle, not because I can fight well (I can, but only verbally...), but because he knows that I am so near to God that I hear His voice and can be trusted.

Maybe 2015 wasn't the best of years for some of us. Maybe there were things we wish we had done better or had a chance to go back and do-over. Praise God, His mercies are new every morning and Great is His Faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23). Join me in praising God that He is the God of redemption, "fresh starts," "do-overs." All we have to do is come humbly to Him and surrender. That can happen ANY time, not just "New Years." Most times that is easier said than done. I know I like to work it out in my head...over and over and over...and sort it out. But it's better to quickly take it all to Him and leave it there!

Don't give up. Keep your eyes on Jesus, "the author and perfecter of your faith." Take it one day at a time, one step at a time. Just as Peter, in the midst of the storm, kept his eyes on Jesus and not the storm raging around him. As long as his eyes were on Jesus he was able to walk on water (miraculous behavior). I love that Jesus always extended His hand out to Peter.

Have a PLAN. The best fought wars were won because there was a plan and preparation. The U.S. military has been one of the finest forces because they train, train, train. When your battle gets heavy, remember who you serve and surrender to His leading. 

Develop a plan for your time with the LORD. Plan to have moments in your day when you are alone with Him. Have a plan in place for reading the Bible every day. I promise you, I have to put these "plans into place myself or I will set myself up for failure. I have my Bible reading plan for the year and I asked God to speak a special verse to me for this New Year.

Last Year it was James 2:13b, "...mercy triumphs over judgment." I can't tell you how many situations He put me in where He kept having me exercise being merciful over being judgmental (and just "being quiet," - yeah, a real challenge for me!)

This coming year He wants me to focus on "Love" more than anything. Love is an action, not just a word. It's a state of "being." I am sure I won't always get it right, but my heart longs to choose love over all. It is, after all, the greatest gift (I Corinthians 13:13). So...my verse for 2016: I John 3:18b..."let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth." For me, this begins with quickly forgiving offenses and dying to self (ouch!).

"Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead; I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us, therefore, as may as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained." Philippians 3:12-16

by Coleen Jejeran, missionary to Romania