Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

Blameless in His Eyes

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He runs with the big dawgs…er horses. He frolics with the colts. Following Mama horse and baby horse around the way he does, you would think he was one of the family. But he isn’t. He’s a little, black billy goat.

He thinks he’s a horse! Doesn’t he realize he’s different? Set apart…Like Christians are supposed to be.

So, what’s a gal to do when she’s struggling with her worldly ways? Wanting to look different and be set apart, but never quite getting there…

Let’s go back and see what the Apostle Peter has to say.

Peter urges us to remember our salvation. We have been bought with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). If that doesn’t stop us in our unholy tracks, I don’t know what will!

That sweet, precious blood of Jesus has:
◆ Cleansed us and made us holy:
1 Peter 1:2 (NASB) “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and set apart by the Spirit for obedience and for sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 1:2 (NLT) God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and His Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
◆ Reconciled us to God, through Jesus’ death, making us blameless in His sight.
Colossians 1:22 Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault. (NLT)

Blameless. Without fault. Holy in His sight.

If Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of your life, you are holy. His substitutionary death on the cross wiped away all our sins – past, present and future. We can stand in the presence of God – holy, set apart, blameless. It was a done deal the instant we said yes to salvation through Christ. In all our filth, He sees us as perfect and blameless. Nothing we can do – bad or good – will change how He sees us.

Do you still struggle with your holiness? Yep, I still do. Why? I’m blameless in His eyes!

I think because in my heart of hearts, I think of holiness as being godly, Christlike and perfect. And I am so far from perfect. I mess up constantly in trying to be the perfect Christian, and do the perfect Christian things. How about you?

But it isn’t about being or doing. It’s about saying yes to Jesus. It isn’t about perfection. It’s about reflection.

[tweetthis]Holiness isn’t about perfection – it’s about reflection. Reflecting our perfect Jesus to an imperfect world.[/tweetthis]

When we reflect Jesus’ kindness, His compassion, and most of all His love, we will look different. Set apart. Separated. Yes, even holy.

Grace be with you,

Are You Set Apart?

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He runs with the big dawgs…er horses. He frolics with the colts. Following Mama horse and baby horse around the pasture, you would think he was one of the family. But he isn’t. He’s a goat. A little, black billy goat.

And he thinks he’s a horse!

Silly thing, but my heart aches for that little black goat. It’s fun to watch him running with the horses, but with his dark ebony hair and little horns, he sticks out like a sore thumb. Set apart, if you will.

Doesn’t he realize he’s different? Special, not like that bunch he’s hanging out with!

Like us.

As followers of Christ, we are called to be holy and set apart. The apostle Peter, in his first letter to Jewish and Gentile Christians, reminded them to stand firm in their faith. They were living among pagans, and evidently, were reverting back to their former way of life.

“So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then.” 1 Peter 1:14 NLT

Then, he reminds them of who they are now: Holy followers of Jesus Christ.

‘but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy for I am holy.”’ 1 Peter 1:15-16 NASB

What is holiness, exactly?

The dictionary describes it as “dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; morally and spiritually excellent.”

Zodhiates, in The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament, defines it this way (Emphasis mine):
Holy, set apart, sanctified, consecrated, saint; chaste, pure…Its fundamental idea is separation, consecration, devotion to the service of Deity, sharing in God’s purity and abstaining from earth’s defilement; morally pure, upright, blameless in heart and life, virtuous, holy.

Set apart. Pure. Sanctified. Consecrated.

Yep, that’s us.

So, I have to ask: How’s this holiness thing working out for you?

I know, I know! You’re thinking “ME? How’s it working for YOU?”

I have to tell you, it’s a struggle not to get sucked into the things of the world. I have a temper that trips me up more often than not; my unholy thoughts run rampant about sandpaper people in my life; the love I have for people can be selective; don’t even mention my unholy eating habits – the words gluttony and idolatry come to mind; and let’s face it: I like my “stuff.” It isn’t likely that I will sell all I own and give it to the poor. I don’t feel particularly different from the world.

In my own flesh, holiness is impossible. So, what’s a gal to do??

Join me next week, and we’ll see what advice the Apostle Peter gives to help us with this dilemma!

Grace be with you,