Strive To Be Holy

"Strive To Be Holy"
By Zach Wood
1 Peter 1:14-16
As obedient children, do not comform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  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."


I have been stuck on the this passage of Scripture for a week or two now.  Not because I do not understand it, but because I have been drawn into what Peter the Apostle is saying about following Jesus Christ and being holy.  Peter is strongly encouraging us to remember that we have been made alive with Christ and that our life is now in Him, not the past we used to have.  We all have a past and it is not now to go back to the way we used to live and model that life anymore.  It is done.  It is gone.  We are a new creature in Jesus Christ.  We are called to be holy and to live in away that brings glory to Him. 

Now, living holy is just not easy.  No matter how hard we try, we simply fail.  We are human and we fall short.  If we are to be obedient children of God, we must make the decision to live a holy life.  It requires much action on our part.  Yes, God gives us strength and the ability, but we must first make the decision to step forward and make the effort to move forward in walking with God to be holy.  He calls us to be obedient.  He does not want to see us going back and forth on our decision.  However, that is what being human is about.  We make bad choices and we end up going back to old ways and old habits that we do not mean to revisit. 

I look back on my own life and I see so many of the bad choices I made.  Some of those choices I still continue to drift back and do again and again.  Some I have learned to not redo and revisit.  Little by little, I can feel myself learning and trying to be holy and keep my focus on God so I will not keep going back to my old ways.  I must completely set my sight on God and focus completely upon Him so that I can be strong and continue my walk with Him.  We must all continue this walk and ask Him for strength. 

I would encourage you to read through this passage where Peter talks about being holy.  Take the time to read, re-read and let the Word soak into your heart and mind. 

I want to be holy in all I do.  I pray every day that God would give me the strength to be holy and be an example for Jesus Christ.  I find myself failing each day, but I get back up on my feet and ask for forgiveness and strength to try again.  I am so glad God gives us more chances in life to do things right. 

Remember, being holy and living a holy life is a choice we must all make each day.  It requires great effort and sacrifice.  We must all make choices to do away with whatever holds us back from walking more Christ and becoming stronger in our faith.  It is a daily battle.  It is a battle we cannot take on ourselves.  We have to rely on God's strength.  Alone, we will fail.  Together with Him, we can and will succeed if we strive to live a holy life and focus on Him.