The God I know that saved my life and rescued me from sin......

The God I know that saved my life and rescued me from sin, the God who loved me enough to kill His very own Son for me, could He possibly want to take from me all those attitudes, actions and ideas that just weren’t “that evil” or “that bad? After all, I’m a pretty good guy. I don’t do drugs or drink anymore, heck, I don’t even smoke cigarettes, chew or cuss. I pay my tithe, I go to church twice a week and I really love God’s word. To the best of my ability (most of the time) I try to live according to God’s revealed truth, not just in an outward show, but with an inward grace and faith, this is my desire.


Nevertheless, this scripture “Be Holy for I Am Holy” 1 Peter 1:15-16 circles my head and my heart like a pack of vultures, ever patient, just waiting for me to drop dead of exhaustion and give up. I wanted to believe that this scripture was one of those largely overstated, exaggerated and impossible directives placed there by the rabbinical writers to make a point; and just between you and me, I wanted to simply leave it that way and never have to really take it out and look at it. You know, like the kinds of things you hope to just “get away with”. For instance, not watering the lawn, fixing the fence, or taking out the garbage. Seriously hoping if you ignore it long enough, maybe your wife will do it and you won’t have to deal with it.

The thought of upping the ante on holiness is something like knowing you should start exercising and lose that extra ten or fifty pounds, you know it’s there, you know it needs to be done, but after all, it’s really not that bad. Is it? You know what I mean, those things that constantly circle around in your head needing to be done, but you know it can wait another week, another month, or even another year.

I believe God is Holy, He is the High and Lofty one that inhabits eternity Isaiah 57:15. But somehow I just couldn’t see Him taking the time to dig into every minute detail of my life and either being pleased or displeased. I thought perhaps there was this wide gray area that I could just dabble in a little bit, just as long as I didn’t live there. After all, we are saved by grace. Right?

Before you write me off as a heretic, or worse yet, a lost little boy, give me a listen you might find it worthwhile. You also might find that just a few layers down I am not much different than you.

“Be Holy for I Am Holy” so said God to Moses and told him to tell the congregation of the children of Israel Leviticus 19:2 Leviticus 11:44-45 Leviticus 20:7