A Glimpse Of Holiness

Have you ever read through the Bible? I am not talking about just certain books of the Bible but I mean cover to cover? I am working my way through the Old Testament at the moment and recently I hit the book of Leviticus. Genesis and Exodus are pretty exciting. Lots of stories and great characters. But Leviticus can really slow one down.

At the same time as I was reading through Leviticus I got hold of an old book by Warren Wiersbe entitled "Victorious Christians You Should Know." In the second chapter Wiersbe writes about Robert Murray McCheyne, a Scottish minister from the mid-1800s. He writes

We hear people boasting that their pastor is a good expositor (and there is nothing wrong with that), a good counselor, a man who is "fun to be with"; but we rarely hear people say, "Our pastor is a holy man of God."

Throughout Leviticus the word "holy" is used almost 100 times! Holy means to be set apart; reserved from profane or common use. And this is what God wants for his people.

In Leviticus 11:44-45 we read For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore by holy, for I am holy.

This is how God sees Christians, but in our normal, day to day life we need to take an inventory of the things we do, watch and hear, and ask the Lord if there are things that we need to stop doing, places where we need to stop going, things we need to stop watching or listening to.

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 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, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." (1Peter 1:13-16)