Holy Heart
Holy Heart
What does it mean to be holy? It means “to be separate from human infirmity, impurity, and sin”. God is holy. It is His character and His nature. It is His heart. He is pure and there is no deceitfulness in Him. Everything about God is holy.
This is important because it means that His love is holy, His compassion is holy, His mercy and grace are holy. They are pure without any sign of imperfection or flaw. That is so very opposite of us. I am flawed. My love is flawed, my compassion is flawed, what grace and mercy I do show is imperfect. The Apostle Peter instructed us in 1 Peter 1:14-16, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 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.’”
“Be holy as I am holy.” God desires for us to become like Him and as we do, our hearts become more holy. When that happens, we begin to show mercy, grace and compassion more perfectly. we begin to love perfectly, holy.
At the time of Hosea the prophet, the nation of Israel was a divided nation with Judah in the south and Israel in the north. Both had adulterous hearts as they had turned from God to worship the false gods of Ashera and Baal. It is a stark reminder of how easily we as Christians can wander away from the God who saved us into worshipping the false gods of this world.
As a symbol of their sinfulness, God told the prophet Hosea to marry a harlot named Gomer as an open representation of the peoples’ heart and the way that they treated their relationship with God. Although married to a holy man of God, Gomer found herself running back to her old ways of prostitution just as the nations of Judah and Israel abandoned God and chose to worship Baal.
In spite of their sin, God passionately cries out to them in Hosea 11:8-9:
“How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned over within Me, All My compassions are kindled. I will not execute My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, And I will not come in wrath.” Do you hear the pain and anguish of God? They have abandoned God, but He will not abandon them. This is not a call for them to come to Him. This is God running after them, passionately pursuing these lost people. Would we do the same? Would we be so willing to pursue forgiveness and love of someone who has betrayed us?
God is the “Holy One in your midst”. He is pure. His love is pure. His compassion is pure. His heart is holy. In all circumstances, we can choose to tap into the holiness of God. We have access to His holiness. When we receive His love, mercy and compassion with open hearts, our own sinful hearts are able to love more purely, show more perfect compassion and demonstrate a purer version of mercy and grace. Have you opened your heart to that power in your life today?
My prayer is “God, make me holy. Teach me to be holy. Let me be holy as You are holy so that my heart too can be pure. Then I can love pure, show pure compassion, and demonstrate pure mercy and grace.” Why not make that your prayer as well?
These are your Words for Wednesday. Have a great rest of your week.
In Christ,
Kevin
What does it mean to be holy? It means “to be separate from human infirmity, impurity, and sin”. God is holy. It is His character and His nature. It is His heart. He is pure and there is no deceitfulness in Him. Everything about God is holy.
This is important because it means that His love is holy, His compassion is holy, His mercy and grace are holy. They are pure without any sign of imperfection or flaw. That is so very opposite of us. I am flawed. My love is flawed, my compassion is flawed, what grace and mercy I do show is imperfect. The Apostle Peter instructed us in 1 Peter 1:14-16, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 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.’”
“Be holy as I am holy.” God desires for us to become like Him and as we do, our hearts become more holy. When that happens, we begin to show mercy, grace and compassion more perfectly. we begin to love perfectly, holy.
At the time of Hosea the prophet, the nation of Israel was a divided nation with Judah in the south and Israel in the north. Both had adulterous hearts as they had turned from God to worship the false gods of Ashera and Baal. It is a stark reminder of how easily we as Christians can wander away from the God who saved us into worshipping the false gods of this world.
As a symbol of their sinfulness, God told the prophet Hosea to marry a harlot named Gomer as an open representation of the peoples’ heart and the way that they treated their relationship with God. Although married to a holy man of God, Gomer found herself running back to her old ways of prostitution just as the nations of Judah and Israel abandoned God and chose to worship Baal.
In spite of their sin, God passionately cries out to them in Hosea 11:8-9:
“How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned over within Me, All My compassions are kindled. I will not execute My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, And I will not come in wrath.” Do you hear the pain and anguish of God? They have abandoned God, but He will not abandon them. This is not a call for them to come to Him. This is God running after them, passionately pursuing these lost people. Would we do the same? Would we be so willing to pursue forgiveness and love of someone who has betrayed us?
God is the “Holy One in your midst”. He is pure. His love is pure. His compassion is pure. His heart is holy. In all circumstances, we can choose to tap into the holiness of God. We have access to His holiness. When we receive His love, mercy and compassion with open hearts, our own sinful hearts are able to love more purely, show more perfect compassion and demonstrate a purer version of mercy and grace. Have you opened your heart to that power in your life today?
My prayer is “God, make me holy. Teach me to be holy. Let me be holy as You are holy so that my heart too can be pure. Then I can love pure, show pure compassion, and demonstrate pure mercy and grace.” Why not make that your prayer as well?
These are your Words for Wednesday. Have a great rest of your week.
In Christ,
Kevin
Recent
Archive
2024
January
February
2023
June
Categories
no categories
No Comments