{be holy as i am holy}

Leviticus 20:26 -- You shall be Holy to me, for I the LORD am Holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.

The Israelites were set apart; handpicked by God to fulfill His plan for a broken creation. They were called to be Holy. Why? Because Yahweh is Holy. And through the work of Christ on the cross, we have been made holy in the sight of God.

Hebrews 10:9-10 -- Then He said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made Holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

But what is Holiness?

Simon Ponsonby, author of The Pursuit of the Holy, said this:

Holiness is about becoming more human, as we are restored into the image of God...Holiness is a return to Eden's ideal and a taste of paradise (p 23).

Here is another:

People and things are said to be holy by their relation to God, as they offered by Him or to Him or before Him (p 19).

And finally this:

Holiness is infused into things or people that come close to God or exist for Him (p 19).

The Holy nature of God sets Him apart, and as His children, we are called to live lives that are set apart as well.

Pure actions.

Pure words.

Pure motives.

Pure thoughts.

Without blemish. Without the fog of the world interfering with that which is sacred.

Let us exist for Him.

Let us be Holy as He is Holy.

Blessings,