Deuteronomy 28 is a chapter of blessings and curses. I honestly think we should start telling people, I wish Yahweh would “strike you with hemorrhoids, sores, and itching that won’t go away” (Deuteronomy 18:27, seriously, go read it!) when they upset us. Biblical insults are kinda funny when you think about it. But the curses are the curses that Yahweh would bring upon the Israelites if they did not follow his commands and laws.
However, if they would faithfully follow his commands and laws, he said that they would be “Yahweh’s holy people, as he promised you with an oath” (Deuteronomy 28:9). Sunday, we talked about what it meant to be holy. We said that it meant being set apart, acting like you are set apart, and living like you are set apart.
Being holy is in faithfully following his commands and laws. It’s in walking in step with God and having a relationship with him. I know I say this a lot, but this is something that I somehow missed for many, many years. Knowing about God is not the same as knowing God. I want you to KNOW GOD. Get to know him on a personal level.
Yes, he is holy and reverent, and we should fear him and approach him in awe. But I also think that God wants us to talk with him, embrace him, walk with him, and meet with him over a cup of coffee. He should be as familiar to us as our next breath. To become holy as he is holy, we need to know him so that we can become like him.
Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants—what is good, pleasing, and perfect.”
This is what it means to be set apart, different from the world, going against the flow. Is your life a life that looks like you are set apart? Do your actions point others to Christ? Do your words match those of the world of those who reflect the Savior?
If you can’t say it or do it inside the church building, then why are you doing it outside the church building?
Now I have to be honest. After I wrote that last sentence, I stopped, closed my laptop, and went and talked to Braxton. I had to spend some time mulling that one over. Are there things I do and say that aren’t ok to do and say inside the church? I’m not talking about wearing a hat or a swimsuit to church; those are obvious things. I’m talking about my everyday language and habits. When I speak outside the four walls of the church building, is it obvious to others that I am set apart? When I face a difficult situation, is my response one that shows that I am different? When my child isn’t picked for the team, do others see my reaction as a person who has God in their heart? Or what about when I am driving, and traffic is proving to be less than ideal, am I acting in a way that would signify that I am holy?
(I can honestly say no to the last one. Not even gonna pretend I am the most patient driver. But I normally have my kids in my truck with me, so I have to watch myself because they are watching me.)
As Moses was delivering all these remembrances, blessings, and curses, he concluded with, “Pay attention to all these warnings I’ve given you today. Then you will command your children to faithfully obey every word of these teachings. Don’t think these words are idle talk. They are your life!”
These words are your life! Are we living as though God’s words are our life? Are we feasting on His word daily? Are we allowing Him to sustain us through the good and the bad, or are we praising him on the mountaintop and forgetting him in the valley?
This phrase struck me to my core. I don’t want to just read the Bible; I want to ingest the Bible. I want the word of God to be a part of my make-up, my DNA, the lifeblood that runs through me. No, I don’t want to be a “holy roller,” and I hope I never appear to be “holier than thou”; that is NOT what I meant. I want His words to be my life. I want His words to be the breath I breathe, to speak them over and to my children, to pray them in my home, and to live them with my life.
Isn’t that what it means to be holy as he is holy? Wouldn’t that cause me to be ‘set apart’? I don’t want to live as the world lives. (I’ve seen how the world lives, and they are a little crazy.) I want to be holy as he is holy because that is what he has called me to be.
Maybe the question isn’t ‘are we following his commands?’ Maybe the question should be, do we know him well enough to WANT to?
Have you ever noticed that married couples that have been together for years start to look more like each other? In the same way, the more time you spend with God, the more you get to know him, and the more you look like him, act like him, and talk like him, the more you are ‘set apart.’
Becoming holy isn’t just about a behavior modification; it’s about a heart transformation.
“These words are your life” isn’t just about what we read or something we quote. It’s something we live, breathe, and speak in our homes, in our conversations, and in our reactions and responses.
At the end of the day, if we take the time to think about who all saw us, we will realize that our children are watching us, our neighbors are watching us, and so are classmates, coworkers, ball field fans, and grocery store clerks.
I don’t want God to be my afterthought; I want Him to be my first thought when the world starts pressing in. That’s what it means to be holy, to be set apart. To reflect the one from whom we are made.
And that is what He is calling us to.
Have a great day with Jesus!
