Being Holy
The simple acts of prayer and honoring God's Word already clearly show that we are different from everybody else.
I want to be holy. I desire this not as a way to boast or to look down on others. Instead, I desire this to please my God with my life in every way. And I should want to be holy. Peter exhorted the believers in one of his letters with these words: “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Pet. 1:14-16 ESV). There is a call from God for every believer in Christ to become holy. And for that holiness to be evident in our obedience to Jesus through our conduct.
The spiritual practices of praying and knowing and obeying God's Word aid me in the sanctification process of becoming holy (aka distinct/set apart) in my life and conduct. They help me become a person who is clearly distinct from the rest of the world. As a follower of Christ, I am considered to be someone who is "not of the world" just as my Master Jesus is not of the world (see Jn. 17:14). This "not-of-the-world-ness" should be quite evident in how I live my life in comparison to others. The daily spiritual exercises like praying to God and meditating on His Word aid me on my quest to become holy or distinct from those who don't follow Christ.
In his first letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul noted that "everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer" (1 Tim. 4:4-5 ESV). Think about this: if this is what prayer and the Word of God does to things like food (as what the Timothy passage was referring to), can you imagine what prayer and the Word of God does to a person who is immersed in them all the time? As food is made holy through prayer and God's Word, I wonder if something similar happens to us when we seriously integrate them into our own lives?
The acts of praying and honoring God's Word already make us very distinct from a world that refuses to worship the true and living God. Believers in Jesus pray to God and cherish His Word when many in this world would not. The simple acts of prayer and honoring God's Word already clearly show that we are different from everybody else. At the same time, praying and knowing and obeying God's Word are concrete expressions of our faith in the Lord Jesus. And it is Christ who ultimately makes us holy by his death on the cross. As we put our faith in Christ, He clothes us with His righteousness (see 2 Cor. 5:21).
Although we are ultimately made holy by Christ's finished work on the cross, prayer and God's Word still hold a special place in our journey to become more like Jesus. After all, Jesus was the holiest person who ever walked in this world. And Jesus, Himself, prayed to God the Father all the time and He knew the Scriptures very well. Wouldn't we want our thinking and our behavior to match more closely to that of Christ's? Praying and knowing and obeying God's Word are important daily practices that help us in our quest toward godly sanctification and living out a holier conduct each and every day.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
