SEEKING HOLINESS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"You are to be My holy people. So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts; throw it to the dogs." Exodus 22:31

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

For the last eight messages, we have been taking a rather micro-look at the 22nd chapter of Exodus as we find God issuing additional commands to the Israelite people. We finish that exposition today as we come to the final verse in this chapter, a verse which contains two key points, one supporting the other. Look again at the words of God here:

"You are to be My holy people. So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts; throw it to the dogs." v.31

Here, within these, the key words are the first seven:

"You are to be My holy people.”

Here, God makes it crystal clear regarding the way He expected the Israelites to live. They were to be holy and set apart from the ways of the worlds, exchanging those for His ways that were perfectly right and righteous.

What’s totally cool about this demand from God is that it hasn’t changed today, more than 2,000 years later. God is still God, the Almighty Maker and Master of all creation and we are His created people, still expected to be holy.

So what does it take for us to attain what God is commanding? What does it take to become holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16)?

Well, simply put, Christian believers are to entirely devote ourselves to God and His purposes. For when we do this, fully dedicating ourselves to His will, then and only then will we begin to resemble and model the One who we are to serve, the One who is holy. In other words, we become holy like He is and what helps us get to that place is to be Christ-like, our primary goal as Christians.

So how can we give of ourselves more so to walk closer with God and Jesus?

Here are a few ways:

1. Read the Word of God.

In my view, if there is one thing lacking more than anything amongst believers today, it’s that they don’t really have a good working knowledge of God’s Word, the Holy Bible. Yes, almost all Christians have bibles at home but too often, they remain on the bookshelf or on the coffee table except for Sundays when they are picked up and carried to and from church. During the week, a multitude of believers allow the things of life and the world to take on a greater priority than reading and studying the scriptures. This not only negatively impacts them but the world they abide in, a world where the Gospel is expected to be shared.

Since its inception, there has been no other book like the Bible and it’s of little wonder why it has been and continues to be the best-selling book of all time. This is because it is a living Word, breathed into life by God Himself (2 Timothy 3:16). Because of this, it contains the essence of wisdom and the very Holy Spirit of God Himself. It’s a book that never fails to reveal new truths, no matter how many times you read it, and it serves as our divine instruction manual for life and holy living.

With this, why wouldn’t a Christian fail to read the scriptures each and every day?

Sadly, when this doesn’t happen, when a believer fails to read from the Word of God, they end up suffering from spiritual starvation. After all, Jesus did say this after Satan attacks Him with the first of three temptations:

“It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4

What’s Jesus up to here?

He’s weaponizing the Word of God against the enemy, and in doing so, showing us how to use the sword of the Spirit found within the full armor of God ensemble:

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Ephesians 6:17

When people fail to read the scriptures, not only do they starve themselves spiritually but they walk onto the battlefield of life every day to fight against Satan without a weapon. And then we wonder why so many are lost and confused today, besieged by the enemy and awash in their sins.

Friends, we can’t afford to mess up this way to holiness. We need to make Bible reading an important and essential part of our daily routine. Remember that God gives you the gift of time. Make sure you give a healthy portion of that time back to Him.

2. Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

This is another way critical part of our life as Christians, one we need to dedicate time to daily. Here are some additional excerpts from the scriptures that command us to do so:

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Colossians 4:2

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray." James 5:13

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer" 1 Peter 3:12

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12

"Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer." 1 Corinthians 7:5

How important is the matter of prayer to the Lord?

If you counted, there would be a whopping 155 verses dedicated to the subject of prayer with another 365 dealing with praying.

Indeed, God places a premium on prayer and this should serve as a major blessing and encouragement to us.

Think about it for a minute. The God of all creation, the Almighty and omnipotent Master of all, wants to have consistent communication and conversation with sinners like us. And this isn’t some superficial chit-chat that we’re talking about. Rather, He wants to have a personal, intimate relationship with each and every believer. Everyone is special in His sight.

This will never cease to completely blow me away but it’s a truth that reveals who God is and if we want to know Him more and more, understanding how to be holy as He is, then we need to talk with Him regularly and without ceasing. When we do this, He will reveal His Will and Way for us in return so we can best carry on the work of His Son Jesus, the One through which we gain our identity as Christians.

3. Put His Word and Will into action.

We can read the Bible and pray daily but we won’t completely fulfill what the Lord desires until we put what we learn and gain into practice.

Go back to our verse for today and look at the words after God’s call to be His holy people. He further commands this:

“...do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts; throw it to the dogs."

To add some context to this, we need to know that this meat, meat that was “torn by wild beasts” was considered to be unclean, unsuitable for human consumption in the sight of God and so the Israelites were expected to comply so to remain holy. After all, there was plenty of other meat that was acceptable to eat.  

For us today, we have the entirety of the scriptures and we know that God and Jesus have given us plenty of commands to obey. Further, we gain conviction and guidance toward right and righteous living when we engage with them in prayer every day. Through both mediums, the Word and prayer, we’re expected to respond in obedience and our actions will reflect that as we carry out these words from James, the half-brother of our Savior Jesus:

"Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22

My brothers and sisters, living a life grounded in holiness isn’t as hard as it may sound but it does require our whole commitment and obedience. My prayer today is that you will examine your daily practices and if Bible study and prayer aren’t elements, then you will make space for them.

The main take away from today’s message is that our God expects us to be His holy people just as He expected Israel to be. My hope is that He speaks to you as he does to me through these daily messages, words He provides me to share with others, to help them come to know Him and His will and way. I further pray that you will put the Word into action while ensuring you don’t allow a day to go by when you don’t have a conversation with the Lord through prayer.

Love and blessings to you always in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.