Holiness: Being Set Apart, Part I
“You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.” Lev 20:6
To conclude my recent blog series about holiness, I want to meditate on the core of holiness, which is essentially to be set apart. What does that mean, exactly? How does that translate into our daily living?
First, to be set apart means to be different, to live differently, to speak differently than those who have yet to believe. True faith in Yeshua radically transforms us from who we once were; it is the Holy Spirit that now lives within which gives us the ability to be different.
God has set us (His followers) apart from the nations; He desires us to be different from the world while still living in this world. But how can we know what He requires of us? His Word tells us. The Word reveals the character of God and those things which do and do not bring him glory, i.e., those things which are holy and those which are not.
The command for us to be holy is an ongoing command – not just a one time act of obedience, not just when you feel like it, but at all times. Holiness is something we are asked to be – to do – every day of our life.
As we saw in past blog entries, holiness requires that one die to his own will and surrender to God’s will for his/her life. Once we do so, we separate ourselves from the things of this world and become devoted to the things of God. We can then walk with God and see Him making a difference in our lives, which will then result in making a difference in others’ lives.
On this Shabbat, let’s take a moment to remember God, who He is and what He has done for us. Let’s remember the reason that He sent His Son to die for us. Let us reflect upon our lives and see if we are living our lives in such a way that those who are around us will see Him in us.
Shabbat Shalom!
3 Comments on “Holiness: Being Set Apart, Part I”
One day at work I walk around a corner where several people were standing and talking. The second they saw me they became silent. I jokingly said, “What is this? I walk around the corner and everyone stops talking?” They quickly replied, “We weren’t talking about you. We were just saying some things a lady shouldn’t hear.” I wasn’t the only female present so it was more than just being a “lady”. Needless to say, I was NOT offended at all. But one thing is so apparent to me – being set–apart most of the time means standing alone.
You are Definitely Right Florene,
It is hard to take in. My own so called friends or church members thinking that I am a weirdo. I spoke to my Rabbi last night cause I was so furious on how so called “Christians” claim to be walking with the Lord and yet there actions are avoidance when I come around and not a warm friendly genuine feeling. All I know is we have a great God and He knows All things. Keep the faith, we will be raised up so high that all will recognize and be surprised. I am trying to hang in there and not think about the pain of no support from family or my friends. Please keep me in prayer to Rise Above this and do Addonai’s Will. Thank you.
Hello, my name is Valerie. I relate to your post quite well. There are a lot of things I won’t do in light of the worlds daily or nightly, activities that set me apart. A lot of people at my last job would stop talking if I walked in the room because of my personal relationship with Jesus.