Holiness, It’s Required
What you are in private is what you really are. Take this Study and see how Ruth handled disappointments.
As it is written in God’s Word; “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” Hebrews” (12:14 NKJV).
“What you are in private is what you really are.” The preacher’s message demanded a challenging inventory of the life of faith within each of us.
My position as a wife and mother affords me excellent proving ground for that statement and causes me to be keenly aware of whether or not I am living a holy life. It has been indelibly etched on my mind and in my spirit.
I am discovering, as I walk with Jesus Christ that living a holy life is a daily requirement; at home, in personal relationships, in the marketplace or on the internet.
Very recently I found myself in a true-life experience that challenged me to examine my heart attitude. I was in a discussion with someone, presenting my thoughts about a situation. Yet this only led to my becoming impatient, upset and mad about the whole thing.
The Holy Spirit’s prompting gently reminded me of this Scripture passage in the book of James 1:20, “for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness (holiness) of God. (NKJV)
The revival speaker’s message reverberated in my mind.
I realized that I needed to get on my face, repent and declare to God that I was putting myself in agreement with what His word said about my attitude, my sin. So I prayed asking God to help me be more sensitive the next time I entered in to a discussion and that I would be yielded to the Holy Spirit’s control in me rather than desiring to have my own way.
That one incident may seem small to some but when Jesus chose me out of the world, He began a process in me; one that has required ongoing teaching and correction. It is not an easy thing for us to give up our rights yet if we are going to live for Christ, if Heaven is our destination, there will be the requirement of Holiness.
I have discovered as Paul did, when I want to do good, evil is always present. Yet as the desire to live for Christ increases through reading of the Scriptures, we will see the Lord as Isaiah did; high and lifted up and we will cry, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” is the Lord of hosts. We also will see ourselves as unclean in His presence and be drawn to confession and cleanliness as a result.
It doesn’t matter what form our sin takes, whether it can be seen externally or whether it is something we harbor in our hearts in a private place; we will find as we read the Bible that living a daily life of holiness is required.
Heavenly Father, I ask in this moment for Your grace and strength in my life to live out the truth of Your word; to respond with the heart of Jesus in every area of my life. In His Name I pray. Amen.
Questions: How do you interpret the term living a Holy life? How does your private life compare to the one others see?
About the Author Phylenia G. French
phylenia thank you so much for your prayers for my daughter in law
Sharon,
It’s a blessing to know that you care so much about your loved one that you want prayer for her.
I pray that our Father, by His power and love will open the eyes of your daughter in law’s understanding so she may be able to accept His great love for her.
The fact that she thinks she is not good enough for Christ to save her is a deception that many of us have had to overcome at one time or another in our lives. And, as children of God, we know who the deceiver is…
The Bible gives us so much encouragement by the examples of other men and women who were subjected to accusations and taunts and ridicule. I think of Nehemiah as he was rebuilding the wall(Chapter 4) and he was confident that God would give success; that God would fight for them in their efforts.
In Zechariah 3:1, we read of an example of satan standing ready to oppose. and the LORD rebuked him for doing so. The LORD saw this high priest’s worth and told those standing by to take away the filthy garments because He had removed his iniquity; then He said I will clothe you with rich robes.
I pray that the Lord will send those who will be positive encouragers to your daughter in law and help her to see herself as God intends for her to; a beautiful creation who has great value in His eyes.
And, LORD, help each of us to be willing to be a part of the answer to these prayers we make. May our speech be seasoned with grace and our actions display the tender love and compassion of Jesus for those who are hurting. We ask this in the powerful and lovely name of Jesus, our Redeemer. Amen
my daughter in law thinks she is not good enough for Christ to save no matter what anyone says. please pray for her
Phylenia, thank you for today’s devotional. as I am learning to learn to live a holy life, I’v come to realize that the only way is through Jesus Christ. Live as a light for others as Jesus is to me. Make a difference in this world while I’m still here as Jesus did for me(and still does). being kind to others, turning the other cheek, love those who hate, be honest and truthful, faithful in your commitment to your marriage vows, do an honest day’s work without complaint. enjoy the gift of life that is given.
before Christ in my life, I knew(know) of someone whom, when I was in their presence, I could feel their joy and knew that that was something I wanted but had no clue as to how i would (eventually) receive it. through trial, a major life changing trial, the Lord Jesus Christ has made me come to realize that God is the One, the Only one I need.
Friends and Sisters in Christ,
I invite you here in my home to share a cup of tea or coffee with me as we fellowship
together.
I Just want to let you know how much God has encouraged me through His word as a student of the Bible. In the front page of my Bible I have written a quote by Abraham Lincoln that echoes from my very own life experiences. It reads:
“I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all those about me seemed insufficient.”
I had a friend share with me on one occasion that a member of her family was “afraid” to step out and accept Christ because he was afraid he could never measure up to the requirements. That’s when I reminded her that Paul dealt with the same things that we do and he penned his thoughts in the book of Romans, chapter 7, so that we could be encouraged not to give up.
As Christians we discover through the Holy Scriptures that our flesh wars with the Spirit, yet we can be overcomers as we remember that others deal with many of the same things in life. And John wrote that they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony..Rev.12:11
Take courage today and remember: For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3. ( “not burdensome.”) As we follow Christ and recognize His Spirit that leads, we can say, : I don’t have to do what is contrary to His teaching but I am free to walk in the Light of His love and truth.
Take courage, friends and turn to the word of God and discover what He says about you. You’ll find that He loves you with an everlasting love and He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Thank you for allowing me to share with you from my heart. And as I close, this is my prayer for each and everyone of you:
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Rom15:3
thank you
Phylenia thank you for sharing this devotional with us. It speaks so much to my heart.
“As it is written in God’s Word; “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” Hebrews” (12:14 NKJV).”
Amen, so true.
I want to share a comment when I was younger, in my early twenties, that one nonbeliever said to me at work one day just to show an example of how true this bible verse is. I have never forgoten after 30 years what this person said to me and have prayed over it and learned from it. So here it is…,
I worked in the clerical office and there were many girls there, many who were worldly and actually many who were Christians. At the time I was a Christian and I thanked the Lord so much for placing me in this particular clerical department with so many Christian women. However, sigh, I had “other” friends who weren’t Christian. One day one of these worldly friends asked me if I was a Baptist to which I said, “yes, I go to a Baptist Church.” She then asked me if my church was a different kind of Baptist Church because this other friend of mine was so Godly and I didn’t resemble her. ~ugh~ My heart was crushed at my bad example of a Christian. I had allowed worldly thoughts and language to rule my life.
You see, she could not see the Lord in me as I was wishy-washy in my walk with the Lord back then. This bible verse, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” Hebrews” (12:14 NKJV), really speaks to me. I will never forget how awful I felt for being such a bad witness I was back then that this nonbeliever had to question me about why I was so different from this other believer. She couldn’t see the Lord in me but clearly she saw the Lord in these other Christian women.
My goodness that brings back sick feelings from that time. My heart breaks over leaving such a confusing message to the nonbelievers at my work place. We each are growing and learning more and more in the Lord and His ways and we need to stand firm and not allow the world to effect our words and actions. You never know who may be listening.