Don’t forget that “the one [Christ] who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). As powerful as the evil one is to tempt us, God is infinitely more powerful to deliver us and has given us in Christ all the resources we need to live godly lives.
“Be holy for I am holy.” God is the reason we should be holy. But He’s also the empowerment for our holiness. Many of us are convinced we should be more holy, but we’ve gone about it wrong. To be holy in our strength, and for our glory, is to be distinctly unholy. To be holy in Christ’s strength and for His glory…that’s our calling, and our joy.
Christ intercedes for us (Romans 8:34) for the same reason we intercede for each other—we need help and we need God’s power to resist temptation and live holy lives. Since the prayers of a righteous man are effective (James 5:16, NIV), what could be more effective than Christ’s prayers for us? What an encouragement to know that even if no one else knows our needs and is praying for us, Christ does and is.
Perspectives from God’s Word
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:11–12).
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).
Perspectives from God’s People
“The Spirit’s work is not to make us holy, in order that we may be pardoned; but to show us the cross, where the pardon is to be found by the unholy; so that having found the pardon there, we may begin the life of holiness to which we are called.” —Horatius Bonar
“Lord, make me as holy as it is possible for a saved sinner to be.” —Robert Murray M’Cheyne
Excerpted from Randy's devotional Seeing the Unseen.
Photo credit: br8mbill8 via sxc.hu
