August 9
Ezra 8:21-9:15; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Psalm 31:1-8; Proverbs 21:1-2
Holy. God's people are those who have been made holy through the work of Jesus. They have been declared righteous and yet we still struggle to live in practically holy, righteous ways.
Ezra 8-9 describes a second remnant of Israelites returning to Jerusalem from Babylon and finding that the first group of returnees were living just like the surrounding nations. They had experienced God's grace in returning to the land and yet didn't utilize this grace to transform the way they lived. They were failing to walk in holiness. The condemnation of marriage with non-Israelites may seem on the surface to be about ethnicity but it is actually about holiness. Even Jesus’ family lineage is filled with non-Israelites people who placed their faith in God and chose to love him. Ethnicity, religion, and family connections cannot make us holy, only Jesus can.
The same battle for holiness is described of the church in 1 Corinthians 5. Rather than confronting and challenging the man who was sleeping with his stepmother, they boasted about it. Rather than challenging people they foolishly saw the existence of sin as an opportunity to celebrate grace. Sin should never be something that is excused, rationalized, or encouraged. Instead, we should continually pursue living up to who God has made us. As we see from Ezra and 1 Corinthians, we are to confess our sins, remove them from our lives, and challenge others who claim to be Christians to do the same as well. The way we live is critical because God's reputation is at stake. The world can see us as holy or see us as the same as them. If we fail to walk in holiness then we truly have nothing distinct to offer them.
God, my Father, thank you that I am a new creation in Christ. Thank you that in you I have been declared righteous and through the Spirit can live in a radically new way. Help me to live up to who I am in Christ and to walk in holiness. Help me to make you known through my words and deeds today. Amen.
Question of the day: In what ways do you find yourself conforming to the world rather than to God's commands?
Holy. God's people are those who have been made holy through the work of Jesus. They have been declared righteous and yet we still struggle to live in practically holy, righteous ways.
Ezra 8-9 describes a second remnant of Israelites returning to Jerusalem from Babylon and finding that the first group of returnees were living just like the surrounding nations. They had experienced God's grace in returning to the land and yet didn't utilize this grace to transform the way they lived. They were failing to walk in holiness. The condemnation of marriage with non-Israelites may seem on the surface to be about ethnicity but it is actually about holiness. Even Jesus’ family lineage is filled with non-Israelites people who placed their faith in God and chose to love him. Ethnicity, religion, and family connections cannot make us holy, only Jesus can.
The same battle for holiness is described of the church in 1 Corinthians 5. Rather than confronting and challenging the man who was sleeping with his stepmother, they boasted about it. Rather than challenging people they foolishly saw the existence of sin as an opportunity to celebrate grace. Sin should never be something that is excused, rationalized, or encouraged. Instead, we should continually pursue living up to who God has made us. As we see from Ezra and 1 Corinthians, we are to confess our sins, remove them from our lives, and challenge others who claim to be Christians to do the same as well. The way we live is critical because God's reputation is at stake. The world can see us as holy or see us as the same as them. If we fail to walk in holiness then we truly have nothing distinct to offer them.
God, my Father, thank you that I am a new creation in Christ. Thank you that in you I have been declared righteous and through the Spirit can live in a radically new way. Help me to live up to who I am in Christ and to walk in holiness. Help me to make you known through my words and deeds today. Amen.
Question of the day: In what ways do you find yourself conforming to the world rather than to God's commands?
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