Clothe Yourselves: Be Holy

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Be Holy

I'd like to share my post Be Holy from a couple of days ago on Layout for Today. As believers, it's important for us to understand that the encouragement and also warnings in the Bible to live for God, wholeheartedly devoted to serving Him, is for us. If those words were directed to unbelievers, then that would be working for salvation. Salvation is FREE, but it costs your life to be a disciple of Jesus. He couldn't have made it any clearer than He did. Let's take Him at His word and DO what He said, out of love, gratitude and respect for Him, our Beloved. Let's be faithful to Him as He is to us. Let's watch and be ready for His return. ❧

Welcome

Be Ready

Kids' scouting clubs have a motto to "always be prepared." Excellent advice, right? There's one thing that is CRUCIAL for ALL of us to be prepared for, and that's eternity. No one escapes their appointment with their Maker, whether it's upon death or upon the return of Jesus. (Heb. 4:12-13)

The Bible contains very helpful descriptions of what we should "put on" (i.e. clothe ourselves in) to be like Christ in Eph. 6:10-20 and 1Thess. 5:5-8 (full armor of God), Col. 3:5-17 and Eph. 4:17-24 (the new image/self being renewed by knowledge of the Creator).

This page is dedicated to helping believers be ready. Unbelievers cannot please God, because that requires faith. (Heb. 11:6, Rom. 8:7, John 3:18, John 3:36) However, when we believe that Jesus is our Savior AND Lord, that means something more than being saved from hell. (Rom. 10:8-11) If we LOVE Him, it's the beginning of following Him, obeying Him (from the heart, led by the Holy Spirit to obey the spirit, not the letter of the law), serving Him. (Matt. 16:24-27, John 12:25-26, John 14:15-24, 2Tim. 2:19-22) God has prepared wonderful things for those who love Him. (1Cor. 2:9)

If you are a believer, but your life doesn't appear any different than the world around you, then this is your wake-up call to examine yourself for the fruits of the Spirit found in Gal. 5:22-23--to be sure that you really are clothed and ready for our Savior's return. (2Cor. 5:1-3, 2Pet. 1:5-15, Rev. 3:4-6, 15-19, 21:7-8, 22:14-15) We need to encourage each other in these last days to keep our lamps burning brightly for the world so they can see to escape the darkness and seek refuge in our God, salvation through the only Savior, while they can. (See Matt. 25:1-13, Rom. 13:12-14, Gal. 3:27, 5:24)

We believers (brothers and sisters in the Lord, the Body of Christ) need to encourage one another to walk "in a manner worthy of our calling." God has work for us to do. (Eph. 2:8-10, John 15:8, Heb. 10:23-25, Titus 3:8)