I Thessalonians 4:3
“For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality.”
What does it mean to be holy? Our culture portrays it as being a repressed person that doesn’t have fun. Movies can portray it as being smug. Fortunately, it’s none of these things. Holiness is God’s character. We are to be like Him.
Holiness has two parts, inward and outward. We usually think of the outward part, our behavior. Paul refers to that by saying, “abstain from sexual immorality.” However, the inward part has to do with the heart. The Lord will take away our desire to do sinful things. Thus making it easier to resist on the outside.
As we read the bible, spend time in prayer, go to church and associate with believers, we gain a desire to be like Him. This in part is becoming more holy on the inside. Our character transforms to be more like His.
The process of becoming more holy is called sanctification. It’s a lifelong process that won’t be completed until we’re in heaven. It’s easy to get discouraged. We find ourselves struggling with the same issues over and over. Unless we are feeding it, the fault isn’t ours. Paul shares this frustration in Romans 7:24. In prior verses he speaks of how he wants to do the right thing, but his body wars against him. Verse 24 says, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”
We aren’t to get discouraged, but to confess it, forget it and move on. The Lord isn’t shocked. He know we struggle. He wants us to depend on Him for strength. These issues should drive us to Him. He wants us to rely on Him for strength and help.
Lord, thanks for Your holy character. Help us to be more like You.