Be Holy in All Your Conduct - Part One

 “…as obedient children, not conforming yourselves 

to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 

but as He who called you is holy, 

you also be holy in all your conduct.” 

(1 Peter 1:14-15 NKJV)

Dating & Marriage

    Holiness is an absolutely vital component of our walk as a Christian (please read Hebrews 12:14). We have learned what it means to be “physically pure and morally blameless” as well as “set apart” and “sacred” – wonderful words that should also describe a marriage!

    Please grab a bible and turn to Ephesians 5:1-7. This passage speaks very clearly about holiness in marriage and we can draw from it instruction for holiness in dating also.

• Verse 1: Be imitators of God. Sounds like the command “Be holy for I am holy” doesn’t it?

• Verse 2: We are to walk in love (selflessness) and give our all to God (a living sacrifice, Romans 12:1), just as Christ did, and it will be a sweet aroma to God (2 Corinthians 2:15).

• Verse 3: Now, here’s the particular instruction: “But fornication [sex outside of marriage] and all uncleanness [physical or moral impurity], and covetousness [fraudulence, extortion, practicing greediness], let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints [holy people of God, set apart ones]” 

Note: The NIV makes the command abundantly clear: “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.”  - NOT EVEN A HINT!

• Verse 4: These also are things that are improper for God’s holy people: filthiness [shamefulness, obscenity], foolish talking [silly talk, buffoonery], coarse jesting [witticism in a vulgar sense, referring to sexual matters in an amusingly rude or irreverent way, ribaldry], none of which are fitting or befitting a Christian. God, through Paul gives instruction for how to avoid these things: change your focus! Look up! Give thanks to God! Focus on Him!

• Verse 5: If you practice or participate in any of the above mentioned things, you have no inheritance in the kingdom of God! See also Hebrews 12:14.

• Verse 6-7: Let no one deceive you with empty words. Don’t let anyone tempt you from God’s path, from His way; there is NOTHING they can possibly offer you that is worth losing your good example/name and eternal inheritance over! It is exactly those empty, useless words that causes God’s wrath to come on the sons of disobedience, so don’t be counted among their number!

    Think about yourself, your actions, your thoughts, and your words for a moment…

    Borrowing a list, with permission, from Ken Weliever (writer of The Preachers Word blog/website), could any of these have any hint of impurity:

A quick glance? A curious peek? An indecent thought? A flirtatious gesture? A secret internet site? A hidden magazine? An amorous email? A titillating text message? A teasing wink? A coy smile? An unholy hug? An erotic novel? An obscene joke? A bawdy movie? An off-colour remark? A racy TV show?   

Are any of these acceptable when you have been commanded to be holy in all your conduct?

    If you are married: Honour God. Revere His holiness. Honour your marriage. Uphold the holy union. Respect your husband and submit to his leadership (1 Peter 3:1-6, Ephesians 5:22-33), have eyes only for him (Proverbs 31:11). Let there not be even a hint of immorality in your behaviour or your interactions with others.

If you are dating: Honour God. Revere His holiness. Respect God’s commands and yourself enough to keep yourself physically pure and morally blameless (“holy”) and please don’t let empty words tempt you from your desire to be holy. Let there not be even a hint of immorality in your conversation or behaviour.

    Desire to be holy in ALL your conduct and be determined to “be imitators of God as dear children.” (Ephesians 5:1)

You can do it! So can I!!

Continuing Thoughts on Holiness

"By those who come near Me 

I must be regarded as holy;

And before all the people

I must be glorified."

(Leviticus 10:3 NKJV)

    From the beginning God demanded absolute reverence from His people. He gave clear commands and expected strict obedience so they also would be holy/set apart from the surrounding pagan nations (see Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy for details). Every one of God’s commands were for the purity of His people and so that His people would regard Him as holy (Jeremiah 29:11-14).

    And it is no different today.

"...you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, 

a holy nation, His own special people, 

that you proclaim the praises of Him

who called you out of darkness and

into His marvelous light..."

(1 Peter 2:9 NKJV) 

    In the New Testament there are five Greek words for holy and holiness, but the most commonly used is ' hagios' (Strong’s #40) meaning: sacred (physically pure, morally blameless, or religious, ceremonially consecrated):- (most) holy (One, things), saint

    Think about that for a moment…

    That is what God requires of us when He commands, "Be holy for I am holy," to be    physically pure and morally blameless. God wouldn’t require it of us if it wasn’t possible!

Let’s do all we can to be holy just as He is holy!

    The Lord willing, next week, we will look at 1 Peter 1:14-15 and how to be holy “in all your conduct.”

 

Worshiping God in the Beauty of Holiness

"Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, 
give unto the LORD glory and strength. 
Give unto the LORD the glory due His name; 
worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” 
(Psalm 29:1-2 NKJV)

    God desires us to worship Him in the beauty of holiness. Worship means ‘to bow down oneself, lay down in reverence’ and holiness means ‘to keep sacred and hallowed.’ 

    As women we take on a lot. We have daily household work, some of us have outside-our-home work as well. We are often primary caregivers (and conflict defusers) for our children and/or our aging parents. We can feel pulled in many directions and our minds can overflow with many concerns, but what if we truly laid down our lives for a moment: the chaos, the constant worry, the confusion, and dedicated time to prepare our minds before worship to think on all the ways God has helped us through the past week? What if we filled our minds with all His various blessings, His mercies and grace, His love and peace, His comfort and the ways of escape from temptation that He generously bestowed on us so that we could not only survive but thrive?

    How beautiful would that be?

    To truly come to worship, and worship our Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), our Father who has supplied SO much to us. To spend time afterwards not in talking to your sisters in Christ about the latest movie or reality TV show, but in talking of the development of your faith because you, through your week's experiences, have fortified your conviction that God’s promises of help are true and real!

    When we look at our weekly schedule we have a miniscule amount of time dedicated to gathering with the church in complete worship of God, let’s prepare ourselves for it!

    O mighty woman who takes on so much, give to the LORD glory and praise, give Him the best of yourself (your strength): your best words, your best efforts, your best attention so that you can give Him the glory due His name and truly worship God in the beauty of holiness!

From wherever you are right now - BEGIN!

You can do it! So can I!!

Attaining God's Standard of Beauty

    God looks at holiness and sees beauty; that is God’s standard for beauty - holiness.

    Holiness means sacred/consecrated, dedicated, hallowed. It holds within it the truth that 'we are less like the world because we are more like God.'

    What does that mean? What does that look like?

    Well, when we wholly dedicate ourselves to obedience, valuing our soul as sacred because of its eternal nature (being in the likeness of God, Genesis 1:26), we will:

• Nurture our soul by learning and understanding the will of the Lord (Psalm 27:8, Matthew 5:6, Ephesians 5:8-17)
• Keep our soul pure by being aware of the things we let ourselves think on (Philippians 4:6-8, Colossians 3:1-2), the words we speak (Ephesians 4:29, Psalm 19:14), the things we do (Psalm 1:1-3, 1 Timothy 4:12), etc. and by humbly seeking God’s forgiveness as we stumble and fall short (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:9)
• Allow our soul opportunity to magnify the Lord, declaring His greatness to the world around us (Luke 1:46, 1 Peter 2:9; 3:15) as well as opportunity to reflect God’s light and love into the lives of others through good works (Matthew 5:14-16, Galatians 6:10)

    When we do all we can to live in holiness and reverence before God, respecting Him and His word as divine and worthy of all obedience, when we work daily to strive to do better (Philippians 3:13-14, Hebrews 5:12-14), following God’s commands, trusting His way to be the best way – God will see beauty in us.

    To be considered beautiful in God’s sight, oh, how wonderful is that!!

    You can do it! So can I!!

    Let’s help and encourage one another to be holy in all our conduct (1 Peter 1:15-16) and to be beautiful in the sight of God!!    

God's Standard of Beauty

     Beauty can feel unattainable, the world’s standards are always changing yet still continue to be just out of reach. Will we ever be thin enough? Tall enough? Will our clothes ever be fashionable enough? Our teeth white enough? The list goes on and on! But with God, none of that matters; His standard for beauty has never changed, it goes deeper than our surface appearance and, yes, it is completely attainable!!

    When God commands us to worship Him in the beauty of holiness (Psalm 96:7-9) it means that both holiness and the beauty found through holiness are attainable!! We are never asked to do the impossible, we can be holy AND be beautiful before God!

“Do not let your adornments be merely outward – 
arranging of the hair, wearing of gold, 
or putting on fine apparel – 
rather let it be the hidden person 
of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty 
of a gentle and quiet spirit, 
which is very precious in the sight of God. 
For in this manner, in former times, 
the holy women who trusted in God 
also adorned themselves, 
being submissive to their own husbands.” 
(1 Peter 3:3-5 NKJV)

    Don’t put all your time and attention on the outward, be sure to put time and effort into the hidden person of the heart – your inner self – through reading/study of God’s word, prayer, and good works; discover the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit who lovingly respects her husband and encourages his efforts to be the family leader God wants him to be. ~ Did you notice that our examples in this are “the holy women who trusted in God”? Holiness and beauty, together again!    

    God looks beyond the surface and here is what He provides: 

• Instruction on how to lay aside every weight (of sin, Hebrews 12:1-2)
• Instruction on how to grow and flourish in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18), 
• His armour of light, and it will always be the right thing to wear on every occasion (Romans 13:12, Ephesians 6:10-18)
• He can whiten our souls, making them spotless through Jesus’ blood and His forgiveness when we confess our sins to Him (1 John 1:9,  Psalm 51:7-9, 1 John 1:7) 

    Do you trust God enough to pursue the attainable beauty He grants us through obedience of His commands? It is a beauty that does not fade away, incorruptible, genuine, and lasting!! It only takes some daily time and effort and the results will astound you!! Are you ready to try? 

Let today be the day!!

You can do it! So can I!!

The Beauty of Holiness

    We want to be beautiful. We do what we can to appear beautiful. Some wear make-up and spend a lot of money on the latest “beauty treatments”, some get their hair cut and coloured on a regular schedule (or at least used to, before the pandemic), others go in for spa visits, manicures and/or pedicures. We spend money on clothes, shoes, perfumes, and accessories because we like beautiful things and we enjoy feeling beautiful.

    Is there truth in the phrase, “Beauty is only skin deep”? For some this may be true, as they put more time and focus into the make-up on their skin than into what is needed for the healthy make up of their soul. God wants us to go deeper than the superficial things that get removed each night, He wants us to work on the beauty that lasts our whole lifetime – an incorruptible beauty – the beauty of holiness!

“Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, 
give to the LORD glory and strength. 
Give to the LORD the glory due His name; 
being an offering, and come into His courts. 
Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! 
Tremble before Him all the earth.” 
(Psalm 96:7-9 NKJV)

    This month, let’s look beyond the reflection in the mirror, let’s look deeper and work on developing the beauty we all can attain – the beauty of holiness!!

Be More Like the SON in 2021 Summary

     Over the past four months we have looked at ways in which we can be more like Jesus, so we can conform to His image (Romans 8:29) and follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21).

    All the lessons this year, as the Lord wills, should be helpful in continuing our pursuit to 'Be More Like The SON in 2021,' but today's lesson will summarize the series I have written and we will study other useful bible topics for the remainder of the year.  **If you have a topic you would like to study, please mention it in the comments below or contact me directly, I would love to hear from you and dig into a topic that is particularly helpful/needful to you!

BE MORE LIKE THE SON IN 2021  

• January 4: Let The Beauty of Jesus Be Seen in Me - a beautiful hymn that reminds us of our need to be more like Jesus. Listen to it here . Read full article here
• January 11: Jesus is the Son of God - We Can Be Children of God - John 6:69, 1:12-13, 1 John 3:1-3. Read full article here 
• January 18: Jesus Determined to be About His Father's Business - So Should We! - Luke 2:41-52, Matthew 7:21. Our God-given purpose: Seek God (Acts 17:26-27), Proclaim God's Praises (1 Peter 2:9), Do Good Works (Ephesians 2:10, Titus 2-3). Read full article here
• January 25: Jesus Knew the Scriptures - We Should Too! (Part 1) - 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Ephesians 5:8,10, 15-17. Read full article here 
• February 1: Jesus Knew the Scriptures - We Should Too! (Part 2) - We can become more comfortable and familiar with the Bible when we take time to read it every day. A reading plan can help create this beneficial habit. Read full article and find reading plans here
• February 8: Jesus Didn't Seek Status, He Sought Souls - We Should Too! - Matthew 11:19, 9:10-13, Titus 2:14, Luke 19:10, Romans 6. Read full article here
• February 15: Jesus Talked to People About His Father - We Should Too! - consider passages like Matthew 5-7 and Psalm 71:14-16. Read full article here
• February 22: Jesus Had Compassion For People - We Should Too! - Matthew 9:35-38, John 17:1-26. Read full article here
• March 1: Jesus Prayed Often - So Should We! - before, after, and even during big events, when life is unusually busy, and without ceasing - Jesus prayed this often, so should we. Read full article here
• March 8: Jesus Patiently Endured - We Should Too! (Part 1) - 1 Peter 2:21-23, Hebrews 12:2. Read full article here
• March 15: Jesus Patiently Endured - We Should Too (Part 2) - consider James 1:19-20, Psalm 62:8, and Ephesians 4:29-32. Read full article here
• March 22: Jesus Denied Self - We Must Too! - Matthew 16:24, Luke 22:42, 1 John 2:15-17, 2 Corinthians 5:15. Read full article here
• March 29: Jesus Took Up His Cross - We Must Too! (Part 1) - Matthew 10:38. Luke 9:62, Hebrews 10:38-39. Read full article here
• April 5: Jesus Took Up His Cross - We Must Too! (Part 2) - John 17:14, 1 Peter 2:21-24. Read full article here
• April 12: Jesus Left Us a Path To Follow - We Must Walk in His Steps! - Matthew 16:24, Proverbs 3:5-6. Read full article here
• April 19: Follow Jesus and Flourish! - John 12:24-26, 1 Pete 3:20-24, Matthew 7:13-14, Hebrews 10:35-39, Joshua 1:7 - Who Will Follow Jesus? Read full article here

    We can become more like Jesus! Let's do all the that we can to become better acquainted with Jesus and His Father by reading the Bible and learning what is right to do! Let's do what is good and right so that we may be pleasing to God, as Jesus was and is, and help others come to know the good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2)!

You can do it! So can I!!

Follow Jesus and Flourish

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour." (John 12:24-26 NKJV)

    Over the course of this year's study - Be More Like the Son in 2021 - we have found that in order to flourish we must let go. Let go of our own notions and ideas and dig into God's word for the truth, let go of our stubborn independence and submit to God and His wisdom and instruction, let go of our selfish desires and live lives that are pure and holy and helpful to others. 

    Like the seed of grain we must have a willingness to be buried (in baptism, Romans 6), so that we, in full submission to God and His commands, can flourish and bear abundance of fruit! We must learn to hate our life in this world ('hate' meaning to love God more than the things in this life), and to look forward with earnest regard for life eternal with Him (2 Peter 3:10-18)!

    Jesus said, "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me..." Follow His steps (1 Peter 3:20-24), don't turn from the path He has created for us (Matthew 7:13-14, Hebrews 10:35-39, consider also Joshua 1:7), carefully learn His steps, His character, His care, and allow yourself to be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29-30) as you put His ways into daily practice!

    "If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour."  Just reading that statement is thrilling, but it is a promise that God can/will/does fulfill! Read and think on passages like Romans 8:12-17 where we find that we, who are led by the Spirit (letting God's Word, the Bible, be our guide), are children of God "and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together" (v17) and also Ephesians 1:3-14 where we discover all the spiritual blessings we have when we are in Christ (in the church, His body, Ephesians 1:22-23)!

    Are you determined to Be More Like the Son in 2021? Are you willing to follow Jesus's steps?

You can do it! So can I!!

     

Jesus Left A Path To Follow - We Must Walk in His Steps! (Part 1)

    From the time our daughters were young we've been taking them on hikes in the woodland valleys surrounding our home. They have always known that Dad led our little group and that he was the first one to cross the wide creek beds at the base of these valleys. Although they were sometimes impatient, wanting to cross on their own, I would hold their hand and tell them that Dad was finding the safest route and if we carefully watched where he placed his feet we could follow his steps and cross to where he waited for us with outstretched hand. 

  Over the years the girls learned by obedience (and sometimes by failed experiment,  a.k.a. soaked shoes) that their Dad was loving and wise. He was always looking out for their best interests and wanted them to get to the other side.

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 

"If anyone desires to come after Me. 

let him deny himself, and take up 

his cross, and follow Me." 

(Matthew 16:24 NKJV)

   Jesus has walked ahead of us and left us a path for us to follow because He loves us. We don't have to guess at it because, thanks be to God, we have it written down, so we can know it, study it, understand it, and follow it!

     To be a disciple of Christ - a Christian - we MUST follow in His steps! Jesus obeyed His Father's will (John 6:38) and in following His steps we will also obey the Father's will - which is found only in the Bible and nowhere else. We cannot follow after anyone else's made-up doctrine, another creed of men, and think that we are following in Christ's steps. We cannot pick and choose which parts of Christ's steps we want to follow and think that we are following His steps. 

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him, 

and He shall direct your steps."

(Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV)

 

    Jesus left us an example so that we would follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21) and in so doing safely reach "the other side." Let's do all we that is necessary to ensure that we are following Jesus' steps and  only His steps!

 

You can do it! So can I!!

 

 

   

Jesus Took Up His Cross - We Must Too! (Part 2)

 “…he who does not take his cross and 

follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” 

(Matthew 10:38 NKJV)

    We  studied last week what it means to take up your cross: committing yourself wholly to Christ, understanding you will never return to your former life.

    While under Roman rule people would have watched those carrying their crosses to the place of crucifixion. Some, without pity, would have mocked and ridiculed those who were bearing their burden. When Jesus instructs us to take up our cross and follow Him we understand that in following Him we will be mocked just as He was (Mark 15:16-20), ridiculed just as He was (Mark 15:29-32), and hated just as He was (John 15: 18-21), and still we will continue to follow Him.

“I have given them Your word; 

and the world has hated them 

because they are not of the world. 

Just as I am not of the world.” 

(John 17:14 NKJV)

    The world will judge you and criticize you for following Jesus, because in following Him you are no longer living “in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God”(1 Peter 4:2). Those who happily accompanied you in your former activities will “think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation” (1 Peter 4:4, read verse 3 for definition of dissipation), and then what will they do? They will speak evil of you; they will mock you and your cross, they will ridicule you simply because you have chosen a different – and better – way; Jesus endured it and so can you (Matthew 10:22)!

    Jesus has already walked the path we are on. He knows and He understands (Hebrews 4:14-15)!

“…when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable to God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow in His steps: “Who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we , having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:21-24 NKJV)

     Jesus left us a perfect example of how to endure suffering at the hands of the world (consider also Matthew 5:44-48), and not only that but He gave His very life in obedience to the Father so that we who have died to sins (Romans 6:1-14), having taken up our cross to follow Him, might live for righteousness!

    To be like the Son in 2021 (and be worthy of Christ) you must be willing to die to sin and live for righteousness - Jesus provided all we need to do just that: He provided the means through fulfilling God’s plan (Matthew 1:21, Romans 6:22-23, John 17:4, 19:30), He left us an example to follow, and He is ready and able to help us as we walk in His steps (Hebrews 4:16, John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5-6)!!

God has provided all through Jesus. Be willing to take up your cross and follow Him, be willing to do whatever is necessary to be more like Him and be worthy of Him – no matter what the world says – trust God and continue to be more like Jesus!!

You can do it!! So can I!!

 

Jesus Took Up His Cross - We Must Too! (Part 1)

 “…he who does not take his cross 

and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” 

(Matthew 10:38 NKJV)

     Taking up one’s cross was a significant and instantly understood concept in Jesus’ time. Under Roman rule, death by crucifixion became a terrifying reality for those convicted; when one had to take up his own cross it was known by all that he would not be coming back.

     Are you willing to take up your cross, turn away from your former life, never to return to it, to follow Jesus?

 “No one, having put his hand to the plow, 

and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” 

(Luke 9:62 NKJV)

    Jesus wants us to commit wholly to Him. He wants us to have a willingness to die to self, to die to the world and its ways, to “put to death the old man of sin” (Colossians 3:9-10, Ephesians 4:22-24, Romans 6:3-8), and walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4) by carefully following His example in righteousness and obedience (Ephesians 5:1-21, 1 Peter 2:21-24). 

 

 “”But if anyone draws back, 

My soul has no pleasure in him.” 

But we are not of those who 

draw back to destruction, 

but of those who believe 

to the saving of the soul.” 

(Hebrews 10:38-39 NKJV)

     If you are still considering the cost of following Christ, if you are still trying to figure a way to keep a foot in the world while ‘exploring’ a life with Christ, I beg you to let go and simply trust that God’s way IS the best way. What He has in store for His children in this life and beyond this life is SO much better than anything the world could ever offer us! God’s way is lasting and eternal, the world can only offer momentary pleasure – don’t forfeit your soul for a moment’s pleasure – find lasting peace, contentment, and joy in following Christ! Let today be the day!! 

    If you have taken up your cross and are following Christ – keep going! Don’t look back! What is ahead of you is SO much better than anything you left behind! Do all that is necessary to stay the course, keep your hand to the plow, and walk worthy of Christ! We are not of those who look back nor draw back to the old ways that lead to destruction. Let’s keep pressing forward, growing in resolve to follow Jesus!!

You can do it! So can I!