Holy, Happy and Useful
By Senior Pastor Prince Guneratnam
“As obedient children,
do not conform to they devils desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But
just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written:
‘Be holy, because I am holy’ ” (1 Peter
When things get rough and it is hard to keep a smile on the
face, it is good to focus our thoughts on the fact that God’s plan for us is to
be holy, happy and useful. That, indeed, is a fact – a Biblical exhortation
which can become true in our lives, irrespective of the adverse circumstances
we may be in, when we persevere by His Grace and act in the light of Biblical
truths.
BE SEPERATED
First, we must be holy. That is a Biblical truth. The Greek
word for holy is “hagios”, which means, “to be set apart from the common for
sacred use.” The Hebrew word for it means “separated.” Thus to be holy means to
be set apart and consecrated for service unto God.
The Bible says to be set apart for God’s service, a believer
has to be separated from three things which are not holy in God’s sight.
1. Defilement
For consecration for His chosen people, God instructed Moses
to share this with the Israelites: “You are to be my chosen people. So do not
eat the meat of any animal torn by wild beast; throw it to the dogs” (Exodus
2. Immorality
Paul in his exhortation to the Corinthians against immoral living
said: “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from
everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of
reverence for God.” (II Cor. 7:1) A proper reverence for the Lord motivates us
to keep ourselves holy inwardly and outwardly. It is also our guard against
immorality.
Samson is a good example of how immorality can bring about
one’s downfall. He disobeyed God and began to live an unholy and immoral life. Then,
he fell into Delilah’s trap and eventually died at the hands of his enemies. Sin
will destroy him and it will do the same to us if we do not heed God’s counsel.
3. False worship and
heathen practices
In the book of Leviticus one of the rules set by the Lord
for holy living reads as follows: “I will set my face against the person who
turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by the following them,
and I will cut him off from his people. 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” (Lev 20:6-8). The Lord demands absolute loyalty to Him. He likened
the act of turning to mediums and spiritists to that of prostituting oneself. Those
who are engaged in such activities will not be spared from the judgment of God.
Holiness must be characteristics
of the Christian lifestyle. It is God’s will that the Christian life is
distinguished apart from the world. In that setting apart from the world, the
Christian finds a way out of all the things of the world that entangle him or
her. The worldly things that tempt and beset us grew strangely dim as we become
more holy and increasingly distant from the clamour of the world. In that
spiritual distance, we can become holy. When we are close to the world; we are
vulnerable to earthly values and it becomes easy for Satan to prey on our
weaknesses and very subtly lure us into making compromises.
On the other hand, when we turn our gave upon Christ and
obey His word, we have hoe to believe and, so, receive abiding love, joy,
peace, good success, victory and fulfillment which only God can give.
CALLED TO BE HOLY
The call to holiness is emphasized by Paul in exhortations
to the Romans: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to
offer your bodies as living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your
spiritual act of worship” (Rom 12:1). They way we live – our speech and conduct
– is an act of worship to the Lord. The challenge
to us is to live a holy life in the midst of ungodliness.
The apostle Peter in
writing to some believers said: “As obedient children, do not conform to evil
desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is
holy, so be holy in all you; for it is written: ‘Be holy, for I am holy’ ” (1
Peter
THE MEANING OF
HOLINESS
We often associate with somberness and mournfulness. Our concept
of holiness is marred by what we see in pictures of religious devout men and
women in the Eastern world. We think that to be holy we must put on a solemn
and mournful look. This is not so.
According to the Bible, life in the
To be holy, therefore, does not mean to be mournful. In not conforming
to the ways of the world, we can still find happiness. Psalms
Holiness can only lead to happiness.
CALLED TO BE JOYFUL
AND USEFUL
According to the Bible, holiness is actually a state of joy that
is imparted by the Holy Spirit. Fullness of joy comes when we are in God’s
presence. When we put our faith and trust in God, our lives take on a new
meaning and in Him we can live a full life - one that is filled with the joy of
the Lord. The joy that comes from God Himself abides in us at all times, even
through trying circumstances. It does not depend on or is affected by the
things that happen around us for joy is directly God-given. Therefore, “rejoice
in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice!” (Phil 4:4).
To maintain this joyful attitude, we need the help of the
Holy Spirit: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be
filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual
songs. Sing and make music in your hear to the Lord.” When we seek to be filled
with the Holy Spirit always, the joy of the Lord will overflow from our hearts
and radiate out and touch those who are around us. Our holiness will be
contagious and draw others to Him. We can therefore be holy, happy and useful
in the Lord.
Take Mary, for example. In the Magnificent, she expressed
her joy at being chosen and used by God. “And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the
Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour’ ” (Luke
God wants us to be vehicles of blessing to others. He wants
us to be holy and happy so that he can fulfill His plan for human kind through
us. In holiness, God brings us into a new dimension of joy, contentment and fulfillment.
When we think that it is impossible to respond to God’s call
to be holy, consider what Paul told Timothy in 1 Tim 1:12-14: “I think Christ
Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he has considered me faithful,
appointing me to his service. Even though once a blasphemer and a persecutor
and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted out of ignorance and
unbelief. The grace of the Lord was
poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ
Jesus.” By God’s grace, we can, like Paul, be holy.
The Bible shows us a way. From Rom 12:1, we know that
whatever we give to God, He takes, and whatever He takes, He cleanses (Matt.
8:2,3), and whatever He cleanses, He fills (Acts 4:31), and whatever He fills,
He uses (Acts 9:17, 20).
There are only two
lifestyles. One seeks gratification of the sinful nature and the other
expressions of the Holy Spirit. The Bible states: “The mind of sinful man is
death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom 8:6). Let us
then, live the spirit-filled lifestyle which is holy, happy and useful.
(All scriptures verses
quoted are taken from the New International Version Bible).
Issue 26, March – April 1994