Tag Archives: holiness

June 17

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I Kings 21:1-29, 22:51-53, 1-35; 2 Chronicles 18:2-34

I don’t think Ahab ever grew up. When Naboth wouldn’t give the king the vineyard, Ahab locked himself up in his room and pouted. Impressive behavior for a nation’s leader.

Then when the king of Judah wanted to combine military forces with Israel, they decided to ask God first. But when Jehoshaphat suggested they go to the prophet Micaiah, the king of Israel (I presume was Ahab) said no, “I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad.” Very mature.

I think God is asking me to measure my spiritual maturity level. Do I see Ahab’s behavior in me when I face disappointment or correction? Are there times when I find myself pouting or complaining because God didn’t answer a prayer like I wanted or times when I avoid someone who sees through my act and calls me on sin in my life?

I wonder if the decline in some churches’ attendance isn’t a reflection of this kind of immaturity. It seems many people would rather be entertained on Sunday morning, told how great they are and how much God loves them. But if they hear the truth, that there is no one righteous, not even one, that all have sinned, that they need Jesus’ blood to be acceptable to God, that Christianity is not a ticket to health and wealth, then they stay home and pout. Or they find another church that will tickle their fancies.

I don’t know. But I think God would have us all ask ourselves… have I grown up spiritually? If not, maybe it’s time.

Lord, I pray for maturity today when faced with disappointment or hearing the truth about sin in my life. May my reactions honor you. Forgive my times of pouting or self-pity. Forgive my tendancy to turn a deaf ear on things I need to hear but don’t like. May I put aside childish things and enjoy a mature relationship with you today.

May 22

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I Kings 5:13-18, 9:15-16, 20-23, 6:1-38, 7:1-12; 2 Chronicles 2:2, 1718, 8:7-10, 3:1-17; Psalm 127

Did you read how elaborately Solomon built the Temple? So much gold! Such intricate details! Thousands of men worked together to make it fit for a king – The King! 

It was where God would dwell on earth. It must have been magnificent.

We don’t need that gold-covered stone and cedar building today. God lives in the hearts of believers here on earth. We are his temple.

But God is asking me if my heart is fit for the King. Solomon took great care in preparing that building to welcome God. He saw to every detail. 

Sometimes I think we believe all we have to do is ask Jesus to come into our hearts, then life goes on as usual. But I don’t see that here. Yes, Jesus is faithful to forgive us when we ask and he makes our hearts his home. And if that’s all you want out of your relationship with him I guess that’s between you and God.

Myself, I want his home to be magnificent. I want my life to welcome him. I don’t want a cheaply built temple. I’m sparing no expense. So I’ll continue to read his word and pray. I’ll continue to choose a life set apart. I’ll choose to praise him in all things. I’ll choose to recognize sin and flee. Not because any of that will earn me salvation. His grace did that. I want to live a life that honors him, that provides him with a beautiful place to call home here on earth.

When people looked at Solomon’s temple they must have been in awe. They must have said, “Wow, that’s where God lives”. I want them to say the same thing about me.

April 27

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I Chronicles 12:23-40, Psalms 2, 78

I thought it was interesting to see how some of the warriors were described. ‘Zadok, a brave young warrior’. ‘Issacher understood the times’. ‘The men of Zebulun were experienced soldiers’. ‘Men of Daniel ready for battle’. ‘Men of Ephraim were famous in their own clan’. (that one makes me smile)

So God is asking me how I think I would be described. How would I want to be described?

‘Connie the lazy one.’ No, I don’t like that. ‘Connie the gossip’. Doesn’t work for me, either. ‘Connie the teacher, the school counselor’. I loved my career in public education. But I don’t think that defines me, either.

I think I’d like to be described as ‘ Connie, the woman who loves the Lord’. Or ‘Connie, God’s servant’. Or ‘Connie the caring one.’ How about ‘Connie, one who looks like Jesus’.

What is it I want people to see in me? What defines me?

I know when I stand before the Lord he will describe me as ‘Connie, the one who is righteous and holy because she accepted mine.’

But until then I have some thinking to do. Maybe I have some changing to do. Because the reality is people are describing me whether I want them to or not. I need to consider carefully what they are saying.

God, thank you for your word to us today. Help us to consider how we are representing ourselves… how we are representing you. May we be rightly described as Godly people. It will glorify you if we are.

April 26

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I Samuel 2:1-5:5, I Chronicles 3:1-4, 11:1-3

There is so much killing in the Old Testament. Abner and Joab were sitting around a pool and decided to each pick twelve men to fight one other. All twenty-four men died. Abner killed Asahel because Asahel wouldn’t quit following him. So Asahel’s brother Joab killed Abner for killing Asahel. Recab and Baanah killed Ish-Bosheth so David had Recab and Baanah killed for killing Saul’s son.

Yet again I am glad I live this side of the cross.

But how does this apply to me today? Jesus reminds me that one of the commandments is… thou shalt not kill. Then he adds… if you hate someone you’ve murdered them in your heart. ‘An eye for an eye’ may have been the way of life before, but Jesus taught us to love our enemies and turn the other cheek. 

In a sense it’s harder to live a holy life in Jesus’ spiritual kingdom. In the Old Testament it was fairly easy to identify sin. You killed someone you died. You committed a sexual sin you died. You worshiped an idol you died.

But Jesus’ kingdom is no longer flesh and blood. God looks deeper than the surface and demands we not only act holy, but that holiness define our hearts, our attitudes, our thought-life.

Dear Jesus, may I live up to your standards today. Guard my heart and my mind and help me to obey you from the inside out.

April 5

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Judges 10:1-13:25

I will admit Jephthah’s story upsets me. He made a stupid statement, a ridiculous vow and God held him to it. As the result of a hastily spoken vow, Jephthah sacrificed his own daughter as a burnt offering. I’m kinda mad God didn’t let Jephthah off the hook.

But wait a minute. What does that say to me this morning? Maybe God’s not the jolly old buddy we’ve made him out to be. Maybe he is holy. Maybe we need to honor his name. 

How many times have I heard, “I swear to God…” or how many times have I said, “God, if you… then I’ll…”

Is Jephthah’s story telling me there is no such thing as a casual vow? When before God a man and woman vow to love and honor each other does God really intend to hold them to that? When I promise God I’ll change, or stop doing something, does he really take me seriously?

Breaking a vow to God is a sin. And God is in the business of forgiving sin. I wonder if Jephthah had confessed his vow as a sin if things would have turned out differently for his daughter? I don’t know. But I do know God is faithful to forgive sin when we confess it.

Dear ones, we need to weigh our words carefully. Promising God – making a vow – is not something to take lightly. God is honest with us and demands we be honest with him.

Remember what he didn’t say to Jephthah. He didn’t say, “Oh, that’s ok, don’t worry about it”. He didn’t say, “Your heart was in the right place so just forget it.” What God didn’t say to Jephthah he is not saying to us today.

Holy God, may I not make promises I can’t keep. Help me to live up to the promises I’ve already made, knowing you take me seriously. And help me to confess the sin of broken vows. May my thoughts and the words of my mouth be acceptable to you today. 

March 8

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Numbers 25,26 and I Chronicles 7:14-29

When Phinehas learned that an Israelite man had blatantly disobeyed God, he went to drastic measures to stop him. Phinehas’ obedience stopped a plague that was destroying Israel.

Here is what God said about Phinehas:

“… he was as zealous as I am for my honor…”

What does it mean that God is zealous for his honor? The commandment about not having any other gods before him isn’t a suggestion. When God says be holy he is not talking in generalities. God is serious about revealing himself to a lost world through the obedience of his children.

And God knows time is limited compared to eternity. God doesn’t have time to play around. There are lost people to win and he is not willing that any should perish. We’ll have opportunity in eternity to relax and enjoy our position in Christ.

Until then we have work to do. Let’s be as zealous as God is about his honor. Let’s get busy and share him while we still have time.

Father, we sometimes forget the urgency in our message. Help us to be zealous about revealing you to our friends and neighbors who still don’t know you.

March 5

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Numbers 16-18

Often I am amazed that when I read the Bible, it seems it could have been written about the world in 2013. In chapter 16 we see 250 Israelite men rising up against Moses. Just listen to their complaint:

“You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”

Have you ever heard the same accusations today? When  a Christian proclaims the Truth it is often met with someone who says… “Who made you judge? There are a lot of good religions in the world and Christianity is just another of them.” or “How can you impose your view of morality on anyone? You must be a hater, intolerant.”

Here’s the thing. Moses didn’t make himself the leader of Israel.  Remember how he tried to talk God out of giving him that responsibility? And we Christians didn’t get together and decide that homosexuality or murder is wrong and we didn’t come up with a plan and call it the gospel.

God did, though.

Like it or not there is only one Truth. That’s not me talking… it’s God. The 250 Israelites lost their lives as a result of their rebellion. The reality is anyone who reject God’s truth will also lose in the end. It really doesn’t matter if you approve of God’s plan or not. It only matters that you accept it as Truth and obey.

God, I am so thankful that you made your plan plain. You spelled it out so completely that there can be no mistake. Help us who know you to share your plan in love and humility, but never apologetically. And may people who don’t know you, come to your Truth  today.

February 25

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Leviticus 26&27

God promised that if the Israelites obeyed his commands they would be blessed. They would have rain when they needed it and they would eat all the food they wanted. They would live safely in their land and God would look favorably upon them.

But if they disobeyed there would be consequences. Crops would fail. If that didn’t get their attention wild animals would kill livestock and children. God gave them a long progression of horrible things that would happen as long as they continued in disobedience.

Then in verse 40 of chapter 26 God says… BUT. All he asked of Israel is that they repent. Confess their sins in humility and pay for their sins with the blood sacrifice.

God didn’t want to punish them. He wanted to bless them. And it’s the same today.

God takes no joy in seeing any of his children suffer. He wants to bless us in the sight of the nations as he did the early Jews. But if we don’t, there are consequences.

People are always saying… things are so much worse than when I was young. And it’s true. And it will continue to be true according to God’s Word. When we read Leviticus we get a glimpse into the mind of God who demands obedience. And who is very honest with the fact that if we don’t obey, things will continue to get worse. There is a long progression of horrible things that will happen as long as we ignore God.

Just as it was during the time the Jews were in the desert, God wants us to come to him with humbled hearts and confess our sins. The big difference between then and now is that our sins are already paid for by the precious blood of Jesus. We need only to accept it.

How much worse will our lives get? I guess that depends on us who know the truth and how willing we are to obey. It will depend on whether or not we are living holy lives and leading others to Jesus.

Dear God, give us humble hearts. May you find your children obedient, holy as you are holy. And may we be about the work you’ve chosen us for… revealing you to a lost world.

February 23

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Leviticus 22&23

I remember as a young girl, when faced with an invitation to do something or drink something I knew I shouldn’t… even if the argument was, “it’s harmless”, “live a little”, “everybody’s doing it”… my answer would often be, “No way! My dad would kill me if he found out.”

I loved my dad. I golfed with him, joked with him, talked to him, hugged him. I knew he loved me. But I also had a healthy fear of disobeying or disappointing him.

Leviticus 22:31-33 says: Keep my commands and follow them. I am the Lord. Do not profane my name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who makes you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.

God must be acknowledged as holy. He wants his people to fear him. Not the cowering kind of fear that makes us shy away from his presence. But a healthy fear. One that doesn’t want to disappoint. One that realizes what my sin cost him.

Does my life acknowledge God as holy? Do I obey him out of love and respect?

Dear God, you are holy. And you’ve made me holy, too, by the blood of your Son. Help me to acknowledge you in my life so others can see you for who you really are.

February 22

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Leviticus 19-21

As God was giving the details of his law to the Israelites he said, “I am the Lord your God” at least a dozen times in these chapters alone. He also reminded them several times to be holy, to accept his holiness, because He is holy.

The rules God gave his people were not given to kill their fun. The rules were given so that God could bless them and the world would want to follow Him, too.

We are under grace in 2013. We know that salvation is not found in following rules. But the reading of these rules today reminded me that they are not about earning salvation. Read these rules again and think about it. If we lived accordingly there would be happier marriages, healthier people, peace and honest dealings. If Christians alone lived accordingly, wouldn’t unbelievers be drawn to us?

Again I’m reminded to be holy because God is holy… and He is the Lord our God.

Father, I pray that your people… that I… would live lives that set us apart from the world. May we obey you, to live holy lives because You have forgiven us. May others see You in us.