Need a 2013 resolution? Try daily Bible reading
How can we be holy? Human holiness is a gift of God’s grace and requires covenant faithfulness. God made a covenant with Abraham, promising to make his descendents into a great nation (Genesis 15, 17). The people promised to obey God and the covenant was sealed. But the good intentions of the people quickly wore off.
This year let your resolution be a commitment to God with a rededication to a life in Christ. Be willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to be faithful in keeping it. Holiness comes from wholehearted obedience to God. Christians should always be holy in the mist of this evil world, letting holiness grow in us in response to God’s word. A follower of Christ becomes sanctified (set apart for sacred use, cleansed, and made holy through believing and obeying the word of God). “For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discoverer of the thoughts and the intents of the heart,” Hebrews 4:12.
Daily Bible reading has a purifying effect on our minds and hearts. This is why it is so important for parents to find time each day (quiet time) to sit with their children or family members and read God’s word. Parents and children should be in the assembly of a church Sunday School and a church Bible Study along with having a daily intercessory prayer life. God’s holiness is our standard for holy living, and the more we know Christ the more we reflect His glory.
Becoming Christ like is a progressive experience. In the gospel we see the truth about Christ and it transforms us morally as we understand and apply it. A holy relationship with God will lead us to serve others with love, kindness, and goodness—not merely to please ourselves. We are called to be the salt of the earth, and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). Let your life in 2013 reveal Jesus’ character and presence to everyone with whom you come in contact. God bless.
My weekly prayer is for the reader of this commentary to become spiritually inspired of God. Contact Expressions of Faith at P.O. Box 330127, Nashville, Tenn. 37203; or e-mail w310watson@aol.com.
