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Thursday, January 2, 2014

Developing Godly Character: Holiness (Part 8)




Part 8

“And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
                                                                                                               Isaiah 6:3-5

Exposure to God’s holiness will ignite in us the fear of the Lord! When exposed to God’s holiness, Isaiah cried out “Woe to me! I am a man of unclean lips”! He was immediately humbled and overtaken by Godly fear and reverence for the Almighty.
Many today lack this important facet of our faith, known as the fear of the Lord. This conspicuous absence is derived from a neglect of time engaging and contemplating God’s holiness and His separation from all that is vile and wicked.
However, God’s holiness is not simply a matter of being separated from evil. The true essence of holiness is not merely being separated from something, but more accurately being set apart to something.
Items that were made for use in the Temple, were made out of materials that were present among the Israelites at the time of their exodus from Egypt. Temple articles were made of bronze, silver and gold. Many of the items that were used to form these holy relics were fashioned out of precious metals that were once earrings, bracelets, plates, and goblets. Those items were melted down and formed into the items needed for temple worship.
However, these items were not created holy! They became holy when they were consecrated (separated and made pure) for use in God’s House. These items were separated from common use, where they may be contaminated and tainted, and set apart unto purity.
God’s holiness, therefore, reflects both the ideas of separation and purity, which is God’s desire for us. The Apostle Paul wrote:

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.”
                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                       Ephesians 1:4

God desires for us to pursue holiness. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:15-16:

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Holiness, however, can only be emulated by those who are striving to grasp God’s holiness. The more exposed we are to His holiness, the more painfully aware we become of our unholiness. This revelation, then gives us the proper footing we need to move towards purity, which in turn draws us deeper into God’s holiness.

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