Set Apart to Serve Himनमुना

Day 4 – To be holy, walking in the Spirit

To be holy, it's necessary to know how to recognise what is good and what is bad. It's a walk in the Spirit.

REFERENCE VERSES:

Colossians 3:1-10 

1 Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 

3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 

4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 

8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 

9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 

10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 

Galatians 5:16 

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

REFLECTIONS:

Read Colossians 3:1-10 and Galatians 5:16 and take a moment to respond to the following questions: 

➤ How do I have the discernment to know what is good and just? 

➤ What in my life doesn’t seem to match up to God’s standards and what can prevent me from separating myself from it?

CONTENT:

In His prayer Jesus asks His Father, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). One of the slogans of tolerance in our society is, “everyone has their own truth,” yet this is a huge lie whose aim is to get rid of all absolutes. We can ask the person who claims that everyone has their own truth the question, “Is this your personal truth?” The Bible states that there is only one unique truth, Jesus. Jesus Himself said that He is the way, the truth and the life (cf. John 14:16). And yet, when you talk to the Father, Jesus will tell you “your truth?” What therefore is this truth?

This truth is God’s Word. By it the world was created and it is kept in order. It is also based upon this Word that we build our lives and model our behaviour. We cannot create our own small Christian religion, based upon our good education, our desires, our way of thinking etc. We don’t have to make up a god, in our own image, but we need to remind ourselves that God created us in His image, that it is He who has imposed the rules and that it is by His Word, the Bible, that we are transformed so that we become more like Him.

When we read the Bible everyday, we place ourselves in front of a mirror which shows our reflection, and we can see how God sees us. It is by this mirror that we see our lives in God’s truth and this leads us to repentance and to change our lifestyle in different areas where it is necessary. The Word of God comes to confront our lives and the Holy Spirit uses it to reveal what inside of us is not in agreement with God. This work of sanctification takes place when we decide to repent for these things and we align our lives, our hearts, our thoughts and our desires with His Word.

For example, sometimes we have an old habit that goes back several generations or many years. Then, when we read or listen to the Word of God we become aware all of a sudden that it is a bad habit. The truth, once it is made known, frees us to live in holiness. It is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit which reveals and convicts.

When you arrive in a town that you don’t know when it is dark, you can appreciate how big it is by the number of lights that you can see. Then, when you go from the airport to where you are staying, you can have a rough idea of what the town is like, but it is only in daylight that you discover it’s true appearance, and it’s only by taking time out to explore that you realise the true beauty and richness of the place. 

It is similar when it comes to holiness. When you first start your walk with Jesus, we have a vague idea of God’s will. It is only in the light of Gods Word that we discover all that God wants for us. Additionally, it is only when we invest our time in reading, meditating on and being confronted by the Word, that we grasp the extraordinary splendour of life with Christ and His transforming work in our lives. And for that to happen we need to have the right lighting, through the person of the Holy Spirit. Always be aware not to trust in your own wisdom and your own judgement, but to always seek to know God and His will. And to do this for every situation where we aren’t sure of His will. Investing your time in prayer to ask the Holy Spirit His thoughts, His will, His desire is never a waste of time. This is because God wants us to speak to Him and to guide us so that we can living in accordance with His will and His Word.

It is equally important to always ensure that you have correctly understood the Word of God and not made up your own personal interpretation, nor wanting to impose on others what we have understood. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts and we all need to function in the convictions that He gives us, because acting without conviction is a sin (cf. Romans 14:23). 

Sanctification – being set apart to serve Him – is above all a personal matter. We are not called to sanctify others, but to be an example of a sanctified life that the Holy Spirit will be able to use to impact the lives of others through our actions. And so, in this process we sometimes only see that we have emphasized certain areas of our lives and minimized others. We need God to teach us what is important in His eyes. 

If you don’t usually do it, it is a good time to decide to invest time everyday to read the Bible (it’s best to choose a reading plan, there are many to choose from) and to put it into practice, because that is how holiness is produced… Why don’t you start today?

MY DECISION:

➤ What I have understood for my own personal life. 

➤ What I am deciding to do in my life based upon what I have just learnt. 

➤ What you decide to do today will determine who and what you will be tomorrow!

FOOTER:

Adapted from "un disciple en marche" copyright 2018 by Luc Favre, published by Vie Victorieuse.  All rights reserved.