Bible Verse: Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness, no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:14-15 NIV
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 NIV
One of the ways our holiness increases is through reading the Bible daily. It is through the scriptures that God reveals Himself to us. I was fortunate to grow up in a household where my mother read the Bible to me every night before bed. However, I am still amazed at how the Bible surprises me regularly. Sometimes, I wonder how I overlooked or misunderstood something for many years. As we learn, God’s Word shapes us, changes us, and makes us more holy.
Another way holiness increases is as we adopt an eternal perspective instead of a temporal one. It is important to keep our eyes fixed on Christ rather than on the problems and circumstances of this world. I believe that the devil does not have to change our minds about God; he just needs to keep us busy with trivial things. We were created to be busy only some of the time. If we remain focused on Christ and His Kingdom, we become more like Him.
A third way holiness increases is by responding promptly to the Holy Spirit. Recently, the Holy Spirit has instructed me to “genuinely listen to people instead of just thinking about what to say.” At first, I was unsure whether I was supposed to listen to a specific person or if it was a general message about listening to everyone, including God. However, later, I realized that my wife needed my listening ear as she was going through a challenging time at work. So, I made a conscious effort to listen without offering advice, and I could see the gratitude on her face. I learned that responding immediately to the Holy Spirit’s prompt is always best. This revelation changed me, and God made me more holy through it.
A fourth way holiness increases is to be proactive in dealing with sin. We should ask God daily to reveal where sin manifests in our lives. Allowing sin to grow without confessing or uprooting it opens the door for the evil one to enter. We should also request God’s assistance in protecting us against our weaknesses, as sin can quickly erode our holiness. As sin leaves our lives, we become more holy.
Another way holiness increases is as our struggles purify us. Our Father uses trials and tribulations to strengthen our faith and trust in Him. As Romans 5:3-5 proclaims, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” God uses these processes to make us more holy.
Prayer: Father, we can get fixated on our problems and forget about Your promise never to leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Help us focus on Your everlasting love and guide us to follow Your way. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Reflection: Are you leaning into God or attempting to fix something on your own? For example, a bad habit or addiction may have its roots in some underlying brokenness that can be surrendered to the Lord for healing. This is always better than trying to white-knuckle through it alone. Draw close to the Lord!
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