Sometimes holiness can appear entirely too holy, unapproachable, unattainable, untouchable even; especially as depicted in art and movies. Holy as an adjective describes the condition of the noun. In the Bible, holy is a condition based entirely on relationship to the Lord. In Leviticus 19:2 the Lord says to Israel,

קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ:  כִּי קָדוֹשׁ, אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם

“You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”

Each evening and morning I thank the Lord for life and salvation, for using me in the unfolding revelation of His will on earth in even the smallest of ways. Knowing that He has sanctified and saved me in His Son by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9), it could seem a daunting task to get out of bed and face the turbulence of the day and not make Him look bad, heaven forbid! Yet, that is exactly what He is expecting us to do.

Holiness is not stillness or disconnection from life, and the turbulence of the day; but rather, even more profound connection with it, answering His call to be holy in life as He is holy.

How? Imitating God, by following Messiah, as beloved children (Eph. 5:1-2) means that we are in a battle to subdue our very human urges to behave in a manner incompatible with His character. Often, it is the witness to this struggle, His grace in action, that draws others to His holy mountain; after all, if He can do a miracle in me, why not you or them?

Here is the good news:

1. In Messiah there is assurance of acceptance and renewal.

2. The Messiah sent the Holy Spirit to prepare, make holy, and strengthen His Bride.

3. The command in Leviticus 19:1-2, echoed in I Peter 1:16, reveals that in faith holiness is attainable, yet not in ourselves or by our strength.

4. Holiness in daily life is the outworking of the condition of the inward, renewed man as we face the trials of today.

Let us, then, be thankful for the relationship with the Father that makes us holy, and the gift of the Holy Spirit who continues to conform us to the image of God’s Son (Ro. 8:29)in holiness.

Waking up holy does not mean that you will behave perfectly today, but that today offers more opportunities to smooth out the yet jagged edges of your life by His grace – and as long as there is grace, the mercy of the Potters hand is still at work.

Be well; shalom.