“Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
and I will be a father to you,
and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”
–2 Corinthians 6:17-18
When you pick up a Bible and a read passage like Isaiah 6:3 that says, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” what do you think the word “holy” means?
Well, in both the Old and New Testaments, whether we’re talking about God’s holiness or ours, the word “holy” doesn’t just mean good behavior. No, it means completely set apart and distinct from the status quo!
It’s unfortunate that today we don’t hear a great deal of preaching about being set apart because there are so many Christians today that are like chameleons, changing colors with every crowd they’re in. They’re just like the world rather than being different from the world.
But Christ calls us to a higher standard. And when you live a life that’s noticeably different from the world around you, you’ll experience the joy that God wants you to have. He doesn’t want you to be separated so you’ll miss out on all the fun. He wants you to find true fulfillment in him!
Some people today have just enough religion to make them miserable. They’ve got the world with one hand and Jesus with the other hand. They get the least of both worlds and the best of neither! But if you’ll let go of this world and with both hands cling to the Lord Jesus Christ, you’ll find the unspeakable joy that can only be attained through unhindered fellowship with God.
THE SCRIPTURE CALLS YOU TO LIVE NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT FROM THE WORLD AROUND YOU. WHEN YOU DO, YOU’LL FIND UNSPEAKABLE JOY IN FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD!
