“The serene, silent beauty of a holy life is the most powerful influence in the world, next to the might of the Spirit of God.” (Blaise Pascal)
God wants to make one thing perfectly clear—you and me! Our Creator commands us to live a radically holy life, morally superior to the unbelieving majority. Our Savior commissioned us to represent Him to the world. We belong to our heavenly Father, and He expects us to behave like it. Light charmed us out of darkness—transformed by His might, we are inspired to make a conscious effort to stay out of dark, dingy places.
Christlikeness is not optional—it is mandatory. If we expect the holy God to walk with us, we must abstain from sin’s filth. Righteousness and wickedness are diametrically opposed. Oil and water do not mix; nor do devotees of Christ and Satan’s fans. It is impossible to wear Jesus’ name and wallow in dirt—the incompatibility of two worlds demands holiness.
An anonymous writer reminds us, “It is a mistake to suppose that God does not want us to be holy until death … God does not want us to be unholy at any time.”
Holiness is not a game—deadly consequences follow unholy living. Sin is candy laced with poison, so downplaying sin’s seriousness flirts with disaster. Our thoughts, actions, and words boomerang sooner or later—with surprising accuracy. Uncleanness kills. Defilement is fatal. Ruin falls on anyone who corrupts God’s dwelling place.
Our character is more significant than our reputation. Our appearance may dazzle some, but it is inconsequential in the long run. Being good in God’s eyes is what matters. He sizes us up by our attitudes, and sees right through our holy façade.
God has made Himself at home in our heart, so we should keep it clean. He demands immaculate purity in all rooms of the palace of our inner being. The Holy Spirit is Resident Land Lord of our life—our personality is sacred space. So we should honor God by the way we use our body, including our sexuality. If we let the Spirit of Holiness control our mind, we can celebrate the victory of virtue.
Here are a few house rules for keeping our heart spiritually clean—watch out for dirt in thought life, refuse to let evil rent a room for the night, wash away lust, vacuum arrogance, mop clean materialism, sweep away slander, and dust deceit.
Christ is our Eternal House Guest—if we clean house often, we can enjoy the pleasure of His company and have greater influence on the world around us.
“You will keep the people of Israel separate from things that defile them, so they will not die as a result of defiling my Tabernacle that is right there among them.” (Leviticus 15:31 NLT)
Johnny R. Almond
Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity
[This devotion based on Day 66 of Gentle Whispers]
Interim Pastor, Nomini Baptist Church; Montross, Virginia
Blog http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/
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