LEVITICUS 19:1-2

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

Have you heard the story about the wealthy gentleman who was interviewing applicants for the position of chauffeur? After speaking with a number of candidates, he narrowed the field down to three finalists.

He asked each man the same question: “How close do you think you could drive to a thirty-foot drop-off? The first said six feet. The second said three feet. The third, however, replied, “I don’t know, but I’d stay as far away as I could.” You can guess which one got the job. When it comes to some risks, it’s best to keep your distance.

The same is true of sin. As God gave Israel His standards for living, He based them on one essential truth: He is a holy God. As His people, Israel also needed to reflect this holiness. The word used for “holy” carries the idea of being “separate.”

God and sin cannot coexist. Therefore, the Israelites were to live in such a way that they would avoid the contamination of sin. While God realized that they could not reach His level of purity, He still expected them to separate themselves and not participate in the sinful lifestyles of the nations around them.

In the New Testament, the call for holiness becomes even more personal. The word saints, when used for believers, literally means “holy ones.” We are to separate ourselves from our old lives of sin and live new lives of righteousness.

If you know that you have a weakness in a particular area, keep your distance. If it’s pornography, stay away from places where it’s sold. If it’s gossip, avoid those people who may feed you information that you’ll be tempted to pass on. The farther you stay away from sin, the easier holiness will be.

A LONG DISTANCE IS SOMETIMES THE SHORTEST PATH TO HOLINESS.

WOODROW KROLL
www.backtothebible.in