"You shall be Holy, for I the LORD your God am holy" Lev 19:2

As little as a few months ago I was reading 1 Cor 1:26-28 and spent some time meditating on that passage. As I was thinking about it I was struck with just how mediocre my life is. When I thought about everything that I had set my hand to in my own strength I realised that the outcome was almost always mediocre. I'm no great scholar, preacher, sportsman, engineer, writer, thinker or man of physical strength. This caused me to rejoice greatly as I realised that I don't need to be any of the above to be effective for God. Indeed, His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor 12:8-10). It was at this moment that I began to pray in faith that God would use me greatly. 1 Cor 1:26-28 talks about the weak and foolish of the world and I have never been one to dream small things, 'may you use the weak and foolish things of the world to change the world' was my prayer. As I write this, there is a push within the Christian community to promote a song by 'Delirious?' called 'History Makers' into the number one spot in the secular music charts. I don't want to make history, but I do want to change the future - on an individual, local and global scale! See, in my own strength I am nothing but a mediocre man, but God is not calling me to live a mediocre life and as such, I can only live in Gods calling if I live in His power.

The following statement may seem vain and self promoting on the surface, but know my heart here, for this call is extremely humbling! We, as children of God are called to live as such. This life, by its very nature is powerful, radical and cannot but change lives. I know for certain that God would use me greatly if I allowed Him, if the reality of my life is that 'my life is not my own'. However, if I keep on clinging to my own life and wanting to live it my way, then all that will be achieved is a life of mediocrity.
Shall my life song be "I did it my way" or "Take my life Lord let it be wholly consecrated unto thee"?

It was in this time of contemplation that God and I shared the most magnificent of dialogues!
God clearly said to me "How serious are you?" to which I wholeheartedly responded that He had my life and could use it as He wills. God knows my heart, which can be terrifying at times, and so He told me this:
"If you seek to change people or a nation, you yourself must first be different"
As I pondered this it became so clear. If the world is the way it is because of the people in the world, can someone who is just like the rest of the people bring about change? If a man wishes to change a community, what hope does he have if he thinks, feels and acts as everyone in the community he wishes to change? Like produces like. What good does a wolf, with all the characteristics, traits and likeness of a wolf do, when running with a pack of wolves in the hopes of turning them into sheep?
The same is true of our witness. If we immerse ourselves in the world and its ways, think, act and react like the world, what value is our witness? I'll dare to step on toes and go further. If we see similar behaviour in the church, behaviour which is not fitting to the redeemed, do we accept that others act in such ways and therefore we have license? If the church as a body is not daily seeking Gods word, walking in His will and hungering for more of Him in her ministries and walk, you are called to be different so that change may come about; that others would see your example and follow it.

Now, we are different by virtue of our regeneration. Our very natures have been changed, is this enough? It is fair to say that in most matters in life I see things in black and white; the same is true with our relationship with Christ. You have either accepted the full truth of the gospel and therefore given the entirety of your life for Him who gave all for you, or His blood means nothing to you and as such, is trampled underfoot. The middle ground is simply unacceptable! This middle ground says 'Thank you for dying for me, I'll take eternal life and carry on living this temporal life how I want. Thanks again" How emphatically can I say "NO!!!" to this? Christ is all or nothing! A life that is given over to the Lord in every facet is the only life that counts for anything at all.

"If you seek to change people or a nation, you yourself must first be different" How different is different then? Is going to church on a Sunday different enough? Is refusing to participate in drugs, prostitution and gambling different enough? If you want to change the people around you, how different must you be? You must be Christlike. H. L. Mencken once said "For every complex question, there is a simple answer – and it's wrong" The answer seems almost a throwaway statement, 'be Christlike', and yet the depth, magnitude and gravity of such a statement is vastly complex. Who is Christ? How can we be like Him? There are many ways that this is to be correctly answered, all equally important but I shall look at one aspect.
Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus Christ is the express image of His Father. The Son and the Father are like in nature. So to be like the Father is to be like the Son, and to be like the Son is to be like the Father. Then what does the Father say about Himself? What is He like? How can we be like the Son and the Father? Our title tells us the answer: "You shall be Holy, for I the LORD your God am holy" (Lev 19:2). Undoubtedly this shall be a common theme in future posts since there is so much to be said about holiness!

So the difference that is needed to bring about change is holiness. I'll not proceed into a study at this point, but what is conjured up in your mind when the word is mentioned? Or imposed upon you?
We know that holiness and conversely sanctification and consecration begin and end with God. It is the plan of the Father, the work of the Son and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The work which God begins will end with Him, who is the perfector of our faith when our holiness will be complete. But for now, how can we be holy? Well the word itself means 'other', it is different from everything else. God in His holiness is 'other' than creation. He is seperated from sin, He is not bound by time or space, His thoughts and ways are vastly different from our own, He is so different from all of His creation that the creatures in Heaven that surround the throne who have only ever known God and never experienced anything less cry out "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" (Rev 4:8) This song has been sung since their creation and will continue on thoughout eternity! It strikes me that 'be holy, for I am holy' (paraphrase) is both an exhortation and a promise. God is saying 'because I am holy and I am your Lord and God, you too shall be holy' as well as 'because I am the Lord your God and I am holy, I desire you to be holy' We are to seek to be seperate from the world (consider Jesus' prayer in John 17), 'other' than it, whilst we are in this world and in eternity we are assured that we shall be like Christ (1 John 3:2).

So how do put flesh to the text? How is this done practically and lived out? What would this life look like? Does my own life look anything like that?

These are questions which need to be continually assessed and in the very near future I will continue this thread of thought, DV.

Until then, bless God as He continues to bless you.

For His glory.

Amen.