Be Holy For I Am Holy
1 Peter 1:15-16
Each believer is given a divine stewardship of their lives as one is given a trust fund of finances. We must be wise in the expenditure of our life and breath here on earth; making every effort by the Spirit in us to be found pure, spotless, blameless, and holy before our Almighty King. We are to be vigilant in working out our salvation through repentance that brings the blessed covering of our sins through our Savior’s blood and its divine cleansing power. Through this removing of our sins more and more of the fruits of His indwelling Spirit will be manifest and evident to others in and through our lives.
Our lives are to be poured out as a drink offering (see Philippians 2:17). Whatever we refuse to pour out as a drink offering on the altar of sacrifice of our lives will ultimately stand and testify against us. We will all have to stand before the judgment seat and give an account of all the avenues of our lives here on this earth. What we did with our eyes, ears, hands, mouths, finances, and our talents will be in that list of giving an account of where we invested all that we have been entrusted with and whether it had been done by the Spirit and for our Savior’s glory.
The Great Lawgiver and Judge of the universe is going to be looking at the motivation of our hearts that led us to either lay down our lives continually as a holy sacrifice or if we had chose to only give Him lip service while we continued to indulge ourselves by holding on to the pleasures, lusts, and the desires of the flesh that will most certainly testify against us in the face of our Great King, Lawgiver, and Judge.
Don’t be giving lip service to your Redeemer while defaming Him by living a hypocritical, worldly, and self serving lifestyle that is no different from those who do not profess to know and believe in His sacrificial death, resurrection, and atoning blood on His altar for the forgiveness of our wholeheartedly confessed sins. As the Scripture says, "[The servant] who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes [blows]… From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more” (Luke 12:47-48). Those who acknowledge and embrace the Savior and His sacrificial blood and the deposit of His Holy Spirit in us have the greatest measure of blessings. We have been entrusted with much more than any other living creature therefore obedience to righteousness will be required of us.
YAHshua (Jesus) clarifies who the true obedient remnant is as He “[stretches] out His hand toward His disciples, He said, ‘Behold My mother and My brothers!’ For whoever shall do the will of My Father who is in the heavens, he is My brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:48-50). YAHshua went on to say, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word (obey Me)” (John 14:23). These yielded poured out lives for our Savior’s glory, through their obedience and righteous words and deeds, are His true family. They have surrendered their lives and seek His will and good pleasure and have truly crucified themselves to the desires of the flesh and the world is crucified to them. The redeemed holy remnant can only be obedient by acknowledging and relying on the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit that leads them to righteous living before our holy King. “Therefore if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
“[YAHshua] died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf” (2 Corinthians 5:15). “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of YAHveh (God), to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Romans 12:1). As an acceptable sacrifice on His altar we will endure the pain of the refiners fire that is purifying us to be vessels who are used by our Father for His holy and noble eternal purposes and we can truly say, "… it is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Prayer: YAHshua (Jesus), I have the responsibility to give You my entire life because of Your love that compelled You to give Your life and pour out Your holy blood to cover my wretched sins. You expect me to give my life on Your holy altar that You might live through me. It is my due service to spend the rest of my life emptying myself and to “have the same mindset as [You]: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to [Your] own advantage; rather, [You] made [Yourself] nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, [You] humbled [Yourself} by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8)
Please forgive me for my wretched sins and self-preoccupations. I humbly place my life on Your holy altar to continually be cleansed and purified of my repentant sins that You convict me of. I thank You for the high price You paid to present me pure and spotless before Your Father—the King of the universe. May I never take lightly such an incomprehensible, costly, glorious salvation and Your precious imperishable blood as the Lamb without spot or blemish. May I continually behold You, the Lamb of God and You crucified for me, that I might live and uphold Your blood by living the rest of my life emptying and denying my flesh, and picking up my cross and following You. Help me to truly be crucified to the world and the world to me. In YAHshua’s (Jesus’s) name.