I'm Just a LITTLE different - Set APART!

 

The motorcycle was officially put to BED for a LONG WINTERS NAP last week. She has a full tank of gas. The last thing I need to do is put the battery on the TENDER to make it happy throughout the winter months. Today is a day I say that was a good choice. But, I hear this weekend will have highs in the upper 60's. I probably wouldn't have time to ride anyway. 

As I write these blogs it is easy for me to slip back into stories from my days being more active with the Christian Motorcyclists Association. I still consider myself a biker even though I only got to actually RIDE on just a few occasions this summer. I learned so much from being a member of CMA. One of the things I learned came to mind as I was reflecting on this weeks sermon on HOLINESS. We are in danger when we PURSUE HOLINESS. IF we think of ourselves as being HOLY, we can also think of ourselves as being BETTER than the rest who are NOT HOLY. By hanging out with bikers, I realized there was only really one difference between us. I loved riding. They loved riding. They loved the roar of pipes and the leaning into a curve maybe going faster than we should and I loved the same thing. The ONLY DIFFERENCE is I was SET APART by the GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. I am just a LITTLE different than they are, but definitely not better by my own doing!

Certainly in our culture today, CHRISTIANS just by the nature of being SAVED by the grace of JESUS can set themselves up BETTER than the rest. I can tell you for certain, we are not. First of all HOLINESS is a pursuit, we have not ARRIVED at the final destination. Second, we are not HOLY by anything we have done. WE ARE HOLY BECAUSE GOD IS HOLY.

"The Lord said to Moses, Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy." (Leviticus 19:1-12, NLT)

OUR ONLY CHANCE at holiness is through God. Holiness only happens through the GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS. We can strive and strive and strive but we can never truly get to holiness. We can work hard at making our actions SET APART from the world, but we fail over and over again. The only way we can achieve true holiness is through a relationship with the GOD of the UNIVERSE. We are SINNERS saved by grace, not by anything we can do.

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this, it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He hasn't created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:8-10, NLT)

We can't take credit for being HOLY. It is only through God that we even have the chance. We are not better than the SINNING WORLD because we are a part of that sinning world. WE are SET apart because of what JESUS did for us on the cross. 

Heavenly Father, guide me through your WORD to help me continue to pursue HOLINESS. I pray that I will live a life SET APART from the world, but realize I am only able to live that life because of you. I praise you for your tender grace and mercy that MAKES ME HOLY. I want to live as an example for others. I want to live a life of love, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. I know that is only possible through you. Thank you for making that possible. I PRAISE YOUR HOLY NAME! AMEN!