Hostile To Holiness

God calls His people to live holy. That means He calls His children to live consecrated and set apart for Him. Followers of Jesus should live differently than those who do not follow Jesus. Sadly it seems the lines have blurred between those in the church and those who never darken the door of a church.

Living holy is not easy. It means saying no to things the majority of society say yes to and saying yes to things that many say no to. This have gone so far that many in the church are hostile to holiness. They want to live one foot in the world and one foot in the church. They don't mind attending worship services, but when the preacher goes to meddling in the preaching they are offended. They want to enjoy the pleasures of compromise but count on the eternal benefits of an insurance policy in Jesus.

Do you take the teachings of the word of God seriously? Like avoiding the appearance of evil. Like not sitting with scoffers. Like not committing sexual immorality, and this includes pornography. Like not talking with a vulgar tongue. The same one mind you used to sing praises to God in worship. Putting away doubtful behavior like not redeeming the time, not reading and applying the Bible for daily living, and many other things.

Holiness is foreign to many. It is costly. It means life adjustments some are unwilling to make. It means cutting sinful behaviors out of your life the flesh will fight tooth and nail to keep secure. The flesh is hostile to holiness. If you are ruled by your fleshly thoughts and passions, then you are hostile to holiness as well.

When my boys were little I had a line in the driveway I forbid them to pass. No matter what. No matter if a ball rolled down the driveway. They were to let the ball go into the road. If they crossed that line there were severe consequences. Why? Was it because I did not want them to have fun with their ball? No. I wanted to protect them. The boundary served to protect their lives.

It is the same with God. His laws are for our protection. He knows best. He know actions bring about reactions. Decisions have consequences. His laws are boundaries meant to keep us from harm. Many ignore this truth and pursue pleasure with no boundaries. The end result is devastation, bondage, misery and in worst case scenarios death.

Holy living is God's best living. It sure may look out of step and archaic to the rest of the world but God knows best. Do not be hostile to holiness. Welcome it. Embrace it. Befriend it. Live it.