1 Peter 1:15-16 – But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy.

God would not call you to holiness if it were impossible for you to be holy. You cannot be holy in and of yourself, but with the Lord’s help you can be made holy. Holiness is something that is really misunderstood in our day. To the average person, holiness means to assume a very pious attitude, to become almost abnormal in everyday life. It is thought to be a superficial thing. Peter reaches back into the Old Testament, in verse 16, for proof that God expects His people to be like Himself. In Leviticus 11:44, the Lord said: Be holy, for I am holy. You are empowered to live a holy life by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. God has given you everything you need to live a holy life before Him.

Challenge:

Instead of imitating the ungodly world with its fads and fashions, your life should reproduce the holy character of the One who saved you and set you apart from the world. The Lord wants you to enjoy life and have fun—not the sinful kind of fun of the world, but real delight and enjoyment in the life He has given to you. Holiness is to the spiritual life what health is to the physical life. You like to see a person who is physically healthy. Well, holiness is to be healthy and robust spiritually. Oh, how we need believers like this today. This weeks challenge for you is to focus on your behavior and attitude to be godly and holy. Fight your natural temptation to respond to things the way the world does and ask yourself how God would want you to respond. With the Lord’s help you will see your character be more in line with God’s character. God bless you.