Holiness

It seems that Christians today are so flippant about holiness. We seem to have made it into a game to see how much we can get by with without actually sinning. How much can we drink before we get drunk? Let's drink to that limit. Let's have a Bible study at the bar and just not get drunk or indulge in inappropriate talk while those around us do. How about we watch a movie with sexual content and just fast forward through the inappropriate scenes?

All of these little exceptions to the rule have seeped into Christianity and made it useless to even call oneself a Christian. 

God demands holiness, and it was first noted in the law given to the Israelites, God mentions that the first fruits of one's labor are His, and the firstborn children are as well. Even though this was an Old Testament command geared towards the Israelites, one can see just how important being wholly devoted to God actually was. In fact, it expands more so into everyday life as well, not just tithing and children. Exodus 22:31 states, "You shall be consecrated to me. Therefore you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs." The list of requirements ends with a very generic statement that these people belong to Him and therefore must be dedicated in every way to Him. 

If God was concerned about every bit of the Israelites' lives being devoted solely to Him, how much more every aspect of our lives? 

Of course, we may not need to devote our firstborns to the ministry or eat special foods, but God's example of what holiness looks like is something not mirrored in today's society of "Christians." These ridiculous notions that entertaining some inappropriate content at times and not at others is absurd. God would never condone that! When we give our lives to Christ it's an all or nothing situation. It's not, "Let me abstain from sex until marriage but watch porn in the meantime." It's not, "I won't watch Game of Thrones, but I will watch R-rated movies." It's not, "Let me have God on the side and spend the majority of my time doing whatever I want."

God wants all of us or none of us. There's no in between. If we can't give God our all, are we true believers? If we look so much like the world, are we actually lost?

Count the cost of giving God your all. Giving your all means turning from the things of the world. It means setting aside our need for constant entertainment. It means setting aside our desires for His desires, no matter the cost. Are you willing to count the cost and make the change?