Today’s Bible Reading: LEVITICUS 20:1-22:33
Leviticus 20:7-8
7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
The Lord sanctifies. Sanctification is the process of separation of an object or person for God’s purposes. The objects used in the tabernacle and the temple were set apart to be used in holy service. God selected the objects to be used. He distinguished them from all other things. They were different from everything else. They were designated for His service.
He does the same with His chosen people. He selected the children of Israel to be His people. He separated them from all other peoples and nations to be His people. He selected them, separated them and sanctified them that they might serve and glorify Him. (Duet 7:6-8). He set his love upon them. He saved them and made them His treasured possession. He molded them into a people set apart for His glory. Those He selects, He sanctifies.
He selected you and will sanctify you. He made known to you the gospel. You responded in faith. You were set apart for Him, saved through Him, and will be sanctified by Him. He is Jehovah Mekoddishkem - The Lord who sanctifies. It is His work. He does it. It is His work in us. But we are not passive participants in His process. Our text outlines His plan for our sanctification. We must be consecrated, committed and compliant.
Consecration involves separation. We are to separate ourselves from anything or anyone who will deter or distract us from complete devotion to the Lord. We must distance ourselves from everything that is distant from Him. Paul admonishes us “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires . . . (Eph. 4:22). We are to put off that which pushes us away from the Lord.
We are to commit to be different . . . to be holy. . . to live what we are. . . to be who we are. God is holy and as His children we are to be holy. Paul again admonishes believers “ to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:23-24). We must put on that which pulls us toward the Lord.
We are to be dedicated. We must be compliant. God has set forth statues that develop sanctification. He has given us guidelines for godliness. We are different and so we should be different. How we live demonstrates who we are. We are admonished to keep and do His precepts. Not that we obtain salvation though adherence, but we find delight in doing His directives because of our salvation. We willfully and willingly comply with His commands. We are to press in to what pleases the Lord.
He has not left us alone in this process. He has given us His Spirit to lead us to put off, put on and press in. As we set ourselves apart for Christ, seek to be like Christ and strive to obey Christ, He works in us His process of sanctification. We submit He sanctifies.
Today thank the Lord that He has saved you and set Himself to sanctify you. Praise Him that as He has begun a good work in you that He will see to completion. Ask the Lord to help you live a life of consecrate so that by His Spirit you can put off those things that push you away from Him and put on the things that pull you toward Him. Ask Him to help you comply with His commands that you might walk in a manner that pleases Him. Commit to be daily different by surrendering to His sanctifying work in your life.
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