Be Holy, Because

“Be holy, because I, the LORD your God, am holy” (Leviticus 19:2b NIV).

First of all, we should be thankful that God has given us no less a standard than he himself. There is no doubt about this command. “Be holy,” leaves us with no doubt that this is impossible.

Then why did God issue this command? It was to let us know that there is no compromise regarding his holiness. No man can approach God simply because God is holy and man is sinful.

Secondly, we should realize that the starting point of our understanding of God is God’s holiness. No one, not even the so-called gods and gurus, can stand in the presence of this holy God. The splendour and majesty and beauty of God is his holiness.

We need to humble ourselves and ask God to give us an understanding of his holiness. For this is what John wrote about God’s holiness that he is light and in him there is no darkness at all.

Thirdly, God loves to have a relationship with us. This relationship is characterized by love, no need to doubt it. But above and beyond love, it is characterized by God’s holiness.

We cannot boast of having a relationship with God, if our daily thoughts, attitudes, words and actions do not move us towards God’s holiness.

The holiness of God is unspotted and untainted. So also, our prayer should be to make us holy like God.

Finally, as we look at the different laws God gave the people of Israel, we find how impossible it is to keep them all. When people violated the holiness of God by sinning, they had to offer sacrifices.

All these pointed to the fact that man can never please God by his actions. Therefore God sent his Lamb—Jesus—as the sacrifice for our sins to bleed and die on the cross. The cleansing blood, the precious blood of the Lamb, alone can wash us and purify us and make us holy in God’s eyes.

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Be holy!

More Manna:

He Will Rejoice Over You

Jehoram, to No One’s Regret

My Help Comes from the Lord

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