Holy Living

We heard an excellent message at church today. It emphasized holy living every day of the week. On Sunday, it's a bit easier. You're wearing your Sunday best and you're on your best behavior because you're in church. But what about Monday through Saturday? How do we act when nobody else is around? Obviously we all sin. We do it all the time. But the idea is to strive toward living a holy life. A holy life is not a perfect life. There is only One who was ever perfect. Jesus Christ.

To live a holy life we should read the Word every day. I'd be lying if I said I never missed a day of reading my Bible. I certainly do. However, I have been doing much better than I did say, 5 or 10 years ago. Some people think the Bible is boring. I used to agree, but I've learned the more you read it, the more sense it makes. You make more connections and the big picture begins to take shape. Read Psalm 119:11

We also need to flee from sin. We all know the areas where we struggle. Stay away from those areas as much as you can. Obviously that's not always possible, but it helps if you keep yourself away from the snares. If a person struggles with alcohol, stay out of bars. If a person struggles with anger, stay away from situations that trigger your temper.

We should stay active in our church. Walking through the door on Sunday isn't enough. Join a small group. Attend a men's or women's meeting. Volunteer when opportunities arise (Tami is on the women's outreach board and is in charge of the church food pantry. I teach Sunday school and help mow the church lawn). Be on the right side of the 80/20 rule (80% of the work in church is done by 20% of the people).

Pray continually as it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Obviously you can't spend 24 hours a day on your knees. You'd get fired from your job, the house would be a mess and the yard would look horrible. Talk to God as you go throughout your day. He's listening and he will answer. Be grateful always. God's grace is sufficient.

And here's the tough one... STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING! How many times have you seen a child doing something that may harm them? What do we say? Stop that! Don't do that! Get down from there! Quit that! Guess what? It pertains to adults too. If you are sinning and you know it... Stop it! Exercise the same self control you are trying to instill in your children. Just stop it! Read 1 Corinthians 16:13.

It's not my intent to be preachy, but this message had an impact on me. It especially got me thinking about our upcoming vacation. We're not taking a vacation from God and holy living. No matter what we do, I want to honor and glorify God through it. I want to be a light, a shining example for anyone I come into contact with. Perhaps someone will see Jesus through me.