To be holy means to be pure, clean, sanctified, or dedicated to God. Today there are so many temptations and things that can compromise us that we wonder if it is actually possible to be holy. In Leviticus 11:4 and 1 Peter 1:16 God tells us to be holy, because He is holy. So if holiness was not possible, God would not command or require it. Now it is not easy to be holy, there are so many temptations around us and we may feel that we are missing out on many good things by obeying God strictly. In Matthew 5:8 Jesus said “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”. So if you want to see God in your life a prerequisite or condition is that you have to be pure in heart or holy.
The truth is that there is really no lasting enjoyment in sin. Let us even put faith or religion aside and talk about science and sociology. If you are a man and you feel that it is better to have many sexual partners, is there really an advantage? You face the risk of Sexually Transmitted Diseases like HIV. You face the risk of bringing children to this world that will not have a proper family and will grow up with psychological problems, this is backed up with research and statistics. You emotionally torture the women you sleep with because no partner will be happy that you are unfaithful. You become emotionally imbalanced since your life is scattered. So when God asks us to be holy it is not for His own good, because He is already holy but for our own good. So when God tells you to be holy it is not to punish you but actually to help you, because the wages or the reward for sin is sorrow and death.
The bible says in Romans 3:23 “that for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. So no one can claim 100% perfection. However the idea is that we should pursue holiness. Don’t give up. Some people feel that since they have sinned they should continue in it, but the bible says in Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” Rather each time you fall rise again. Proverbs 24:16 “says for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again. You must be determined to overcome the temptations you face. Rather than accepting sin, refuse it and keep fighting it until you overcome . You must persevere to overcome it. Life is a battle , a war so you must fight back in prayers with worship and the Word. Don’t try to be like everyone, because God will not judge you with everyone. Each man shall answer to God alone, even husband and wife will not be judged together but separately. So do what is right, even if it is not popular or politically correct, provided it is the fair and right thing, then God will be pleased with you. Let people laugh at you or mock you, it does not matter provided you are pleasing God, that is all that matters. Remember Noah, when God asked him to build the Ark, people thought he was crazy, they laughed at. But when the flood which represented God’s judgment came, they were crying and Noah was laughing. God wiped out the whole world except Noah and his family. It was not that God did not warn them, but they chose not to listen and they suffered the consequences. My brothers and sisters pursue holiness, life is vanity, don’t compromise your faith in God because of anything in this world, it is not worth it. Because we shall all die someday and leave everything behind, we were born naked and will die naked.
God’s grace is sufficient for you, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. The reward of holiness is peace, good health, wealth and above all eternal life for those who believe in Christ. Have a blessed day.
