Being Holy
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
1 Peter 1:15-16
for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
How would you describe being Holy in all you do? God is referred to as Holy, Holy, Holy, and no other description of God describes him three times like his holiness. Therefore, it must be important for us to be Holy.
One definition of holy is: “Devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity.” This denotes that we are representing Christ wherever we are and in every situation. We are separate, meaning we are not directly controlled by the world but controlled by the Spirit, taking everything from the world to the Spirit for Godly guidance and wisdom.
If we are not holy how can we reflect Christ and be pleasing to our Lord? The opposite of being holy is to be controlled by the world. We feed into whatever is happening around us and we get emotionally involved and respond in a worldly manner. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it (John 17:16). This verse implies that we are closer to the Lord than we are to the world, meaning we take everything to the Lord and we ask him to guide us in his wisdom and patience. We seek to understand the people around us and respond with Godly wisdom and respect.
Most everyone responds in some level emotionally to a worldly situation, but the emotions of Christians respond in a Christ-like manner. A Christian takes the worldly situation and runs to the Lord for understanding and wisdom. Doing this gives us the power to not feed into the turmoil around us, but to remain in control and display Godly wisdom. Doing this helps us to get control of our emotions. If we are emotionally responsive it will be very difficult to be Holy because the world around us takes control of us.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth”(Psalm 46:10). If we can be still inside by controlling our thoughts, communing with the Lord, we will be prepared to reflect Christ-like behavior in the situation. Being still inside helps us to stop and think, seeking Godly wisdom instead of responding from our emotions. My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, (James 1:19). Being still inside helps us to be quick to listen and slow to respond. For me it is sometimes difficult to respond instantly with Godly wisdom because I need to stop and ask for the Lord’s guidance. Sometimes all I can do is respond with an open question for better understanding.
If we see ourselves as ministering to others, it will keep us from emotionally reacting to the world around us. Sometimes we have Godly wisdom to speak and sometimes all we can do is to remain calm and say nothing but leave with a nonjudgmental attitude. Take advantage of every opportunity because these are evil times. Because of this, don’t be ignorant, but understand the Lord’s will (Ephesians 5:16-17). Seize every opportunity to do the Lord’s will and minister to someone with encouragement and a caring heart.
Today, seek to be holy in every situation. Try not to feed into the world around you with an emotional reaction. Instead, respond with a humble heart and with Godly wisdom and show the world that you are stable and in control. This is a powerful witness for Christ.
Let’s Pray: Lord, help me to be controlled by the Spirit and not to be emotionally reactive to the world around me. Guide me in the Spirit to be in control and to reflect Godly wisdom; and help me to be holy in every situation in life and to be dependent on you with a thankful heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.