1 Peter 1:15-16, New Living Translation

“But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy.’”

As I was driving down the road, the Lord asked me a question. What does it mean to be holy? Right away my mind went to the scripture in 1 Peter 1:15-16 (NLT) that says, “But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy.’” Right away I took notice of the words everything you do. To me, this indicates action on my part. It is a choice to be holy and an action to follow through to be holy.  

This scripture is also referenced in Leviticus 19:1-2 (NLT). This scripture says, “The Lord also 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.’” As you continue to read Leviticus 19, it goes on to tell you what to do and not to do. It almost sounds like the Ten commandments. There are more commands given of the things to do and not do. These commands include honoring your father and mother, not to trust in idols, properly giving a peace offering to the Lord, how to harvest your crops, not to steal, not to deceive or cheat one another, not to bring shame on the Lord by using His name as a curse word, and the list goes on. I would encourage you to read this chapter in its entirety.  

As I pondered this chapter and what the Lord was saying, I came to a place recognizing that holiness is love in its purest form. Numbers 23:19 (NLT) says, " God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” When I think about God, my Father, I think about who He is and why He does or has done what He has done. It all comes from a motive of love. He is love. He cannot go against His nature or character. When we choose to obey His commands, our motive should come from love. Love for God, and love for others. This comes from the first two commandments, that Jesus Himself told us were the two most important commands and that the laws and prophets hung on these two commands: Love God and love people.

What does it mean to be holy? It means to love to the best of our ability in the purest form with the help of the Holy Spirit within us. Being holy means being a person with integrity even when nobody is looking. Being Holy means choosing God over self. We, by no means, can do this on our own. With the help of God Himself and the Holy Spirit within us, we can allow Him into our hearts to do the work needed in our own lives and empower us to love others well. We can spend time in His presence and let the outpouring of His love in our own lives flow into the lives that we encounter in our day-to-day routines. I know I have used this scripture several times, but it is so good, and it is so true! Romans 12:9-10 (NLT) says, "Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other.” Even Jesus said, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34-35, NLT)

When we look at God's nature, His character, we see that it is selfless, the key to holiness. His love is holy because there are no flaws in His love, and there is no sin or selfishness in His love. Will we always get this right, no. But shouldn't we be putting our best foot forward? Shouldn't we be giving our best to God? The Bible tells us, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24, NLT) Our motivation in all of this should not be our reward, but love. This love should come from our relationship with our Father.

If you do not have a relationship with our Father, or perhaps you have one, but it needs work, I would encourage you to pursue Him. It isn't too late for you to dig in deeper now and to seek a relationship with Him. That is what He wants. He wants you; He wants me. He wants a relationship with us. When we go back to Genesis, we see that He walked with Adam and Eve on the cool evening in the Garden. This was before sin entered the world. It is our sin that separates us from God. With a repentant and humble heart and accepting Christ as our Savior, we can turn to Him and receive the full gift of salvation. It is God who makes the difference in us, and it will be God through us that makes the difference for others. Together, let us pursue holiness, the purest form of love. Why? Because love wins every time!