Holiness to the LORD

1 Peter 1:15 and 16 say, "but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.'"

What does it mean to be holy? It means devoted to the service of God, set apart for God alone.

Over 200 times in Scripture, holiness is seen as an attribute of God or is listed as part of His name. God is holy. To fully understand holiness, we must fully understand God. Apart from the Lord there is no holiness. Therefore everything that is apart from Him is unholy – there is no "in between" regarding holiness.

Revelation 1:6 says that we have been made priests unto God through Jesus. Being set apart for a priesthood is no small matter and the role should be taken seriously. In the Old Testament days the priests were cleansed and consecrated to the Lord before they began their priesthood - just as we are cleansed by Christ and set apart for Him before we can serve God. Back in the Old Testament the law showed pictured the spiritual through the physical commands. The priests were not allowed to serve when they had any defect, were marred, or even just had a scab. Once again, the physical requirements are a picture of the spiritual requirements for serving God, for coming before Him as holy. We must not be marred by sin. We must take care of our "scabs" or sins by coming before our Healer and asking His forgiveness. Serving as priests unto God it is necessary for us to avoid those things that will marr us and prevent us from service and close fellowship with our Lord and King.

In the Old Testament, the Lord commanded that the priests wore across their foreheads a sign which said, "Holiness to the Lord". We are priests under a new law and though we do not need to wear a sign that proclaims that we are a priest, holy and set aside for Christ's service that is exactly who we are.

You are a chosen one, set aside for the Lord's purpose, to be holy just as He is holy. Just as the priests daily put on the sign so we must continually practice holiness. The more we spen our time with the Lord the more we will reflect His holiness.

Today, remember that you are a priest, imagine yourself with a sign proclaiming your life as holy unto God. And live accordingly.