UncommonSample

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” A.W. Tozer

Our status quo looks different than God’s. His status quo is "otherly." The Bible uses a very controversial word to describe this strange status quo - HOLY. I encourage you to strip away all those preconceptions of the word Holy and let’s get back to the basics. Holy means “otherly, different.” It implies the opposite of things common. God is Holy. He is different from us.

Isaiah 6:3 says, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” His character is always good, just, honorable, and loving. His motives are always pure. He defines morality itself, and it is perfect. But as corrupted, imperfect beings, our characters are not always good, just, honorable, and loving. So when we compare the status quo of our lives and the status quo of God, we should find a different status quo than that of the world.

I know my motives are not always pure, and I could never define perfect morality. So while we are made in God's image, the holiness of God is one of those attributes that set us apart from Him. Or at least it did. But the story doesn’t end there.

Through the Cross of Christ and embracing a relationship with Him, He has now called us Holy. He has invited us to live differently. Through our relationship with Jesus, we have been given the holy position. God challenges us to a life of differentness because we are no longer commoners of this world.

Rules of dos and don'ts do not restrict us. We are called to represent Him by being different. Uncommon. Set apart. He has called us holy through Jesus.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How is God different and set apart from us? Read Isaiah 57:15.
2. What is the standard way the world tells us to think about our lives?
3. How can we be different and set apart in how we think about our lives?