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Becoming Holy


I was challenged by a recent sermon about holiness.

 

It says in 1 Peter 1:15-16 ‘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”’ (NIV)

 

This is not a choice for Christians, but a matter of obedience.

 

So, as someone who is just a simple woman trying to be obedient to God, I wondered what this might look like for me. What do I need to give up? Am I filling my life with activities that do not serve any purpose but to satisfy me? Do I need to do more to serve God than what I am already doing? Oh boy, challenging questions.

 

I thought about what gives me the most trouble in terms of sinning. Well, it’s definitely my mouth. It says in Proverbs 21:23 that ‘those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity’ (NIV). Jesus says in Matthew 15:11 that it is what comes out of our mouths that defiles us. He went on to explain that we will have to give an account of every careless word we say. Again, this is such a challenge for me.

 

So how do I overcome this sin? I need to think before I speak!  I need to take the time to listen to the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit. I notice that I fall into sin when I rush to speak without thinking through what I am going to say. Oh the flesh is so strong. Most of all, I need to pray before I even get into conversations!

 

I so desire to be obedient to Him! Surely it isn’t that difficult. Yet time and again I fail. To be holy our hearts need to be clean and which of us I wonder can state without reservation that we have totally clean hearts?

 

I would be really ashamed if upon reaching the ripe old age of seventy years, I was exactly the same as I was when I first accepted Jesus as my Saviour as a child. I know that God continues to work in me, but I must be willing to continue to pursue holiness and dig deep to get rid of anything that gets in the way of this.

 

I have just started reading a book called ‘Helps to Holiness’ written by Samuel Logan Brengle, a Commissioner in The Salvation Army. This great little book was first written in 1896 and I am hoping it might be helpful. Maybe I will have some insights I can share with you in a later post!

 

God bless you each.

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