SEARCHLIGHT
Does your life reflect God to people?
SCRIPTURE
… I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations. You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean… Do not defile yourselves… You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.
Leviticus 20: 24-26 [selected]
SPOTLIGHT
What are the best things a person can do every day? The Mayo Clinic suggests the following:
- Eat nourishing food,
- Sleep 7 to 8 hours per night,
- Keep company with good people,
- Avoid news overdose,
- Get regular exercise,
- Do something meaningful every day, and
- Think good thoughts for others.
You would serve yourself well to put all 7 into practice. However, God has also answered this question throughout the Bible. So, what are the best things He teaches you to do?
God longs for you every day to realize just how important you are to Him. Your Creator is counting on you. He has placed a very special calling on your life. God has chosen you to reflect and represent Him in your world.
In the book of Leviticus, God told Moses to write down the best things a Jewish person should do. It is a long list of do’s and don’ts. Some Christians may wonder what benefit there is to reading this book since there are so many of them. In addition, Jesus Christ changed most everything mentioned in this book when He died for man’s sin. However, God still wants all believers to know an all-important truth. Please note! Leviticus teaches us that God set apart the Jewish people to represent Him in a sinful world where people ignored Almighty God. In the above Scripture focus, it says, “the Lord…set you apart…” God called them to become holy like He is. This one truth is the same for believers today, as seen in the New Testament. Read 1Peter 1:15,16 and 2 Peter 3:11 along with Hebrews 12:14.
Christians are “set apart” by God to represent Him in a sinful world where so many ignore and despise Him. In Christ’s High Priestly Prayer, Jesus asked God the Father to set believers apart for sacred use and to make them holy. “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them, I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.” [John 17:17-19] “Set apart” and “sanctify” mean the same thing. Both words identify God has a special use and purpose for all believers. Both words direct believers to become holy. This simply means believers should long for their image to be God-like. Each day they should long to reflect God to people.
Every day you live you must never forget this truth. You have been set apart just like the Jewish people. Your Savior and Lord asked God the Father to set you apart for sacred use and to make you holy. Later, Paul the Apostle prayed, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 23,24.
THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO EVERY DAY is to consecrate yourself to fulfilling God’s special purposes. Your loving Heavenly Father has things for you to do and people for you to see each day of your life. When you are on the job or at school, you are being used by God to represent Him in a world of people who need to know truth, to be truly loved, and to be given hope. You are that person. Your lifestyle and decisions distinguish between what is right and wrong. Your words define what is true and untrue. Your life reflects God’s love and hope. Your behavior represents God’s forgiveness. This is why God has set you apart. This is why Jesus prayed you would be sanctified.
Are you going to do the best thing while living the rest of your life? Eating well and sleeping right are good things to do but not the best. Decide to take on God’s likeness. Long to look like Your loving heavenly Father. Just invite God to fill you with His presence and power. God said, “Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy.” [Leviticus 20:7,8] Live to fulfill God’s purposes for your life and He will make you like Himself.
THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO EVERY DAY is to consecrate yourself by doing the following:
- Living to reflect Jesus- make this your #1 purpose.
- Demonstrating in your words and actions the difference Jesus makes in your life.
- Sharing how you have discovered the meaning of truthfulness, love and forgiveness.
SOMETHING TO DO
Take the following steps each day to realize God has set you apart and is sanctifying you for sacred use and purposes.
- CONNECT- Begin each day by talking to your Heavenly Father.
- CONSECRATE- Dedicate yourself every day to bring honor to God.
- COMMIT- Ask God each day to fill you with His power so you may be His light.
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Heavenly Father, today, I realize that the very best thing I can do every day for the rest of my life is to live to honor You. I consecrate myself to reflect and represent You in the world I live in. May Your image be seen in me. AMEN!