Take Time to Be Holy

“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

-- Matthew 22:37-39 (NKJV)

I am not sure about you, but for me, when I hear the word ‘holiness,’ I think of Biblical saints from long ago. To be even more honest, I think of holiness as something unattainable, which is a lie from the enemy of our souls.

Holiness is God’s moral character at work in Holy Spirit-filled followers of Jesus Christ. By the grace of God, it is something we all can, and should, strive for in our lives.

In England in the early 1800s, British church treasurer William Dunn Longstaff wrote the lyrics to “Take Time to Be Holy.” Years later, Longstaff shared the devotional hymn with American songwriter George C Stebbins, who composed the music for the song that became known around the world.

Each stanza of the song begins with 'Take time to be holy', followed by specific details of what holiness looks like in action for the believer. Below is my modern-day verbiage of what it means to be holy.

FRUIT OF HOLINESS:

PRAY: to spend time, daily, speaking to the Lord and being in communion with God. Regular conversation with God calms our soul.

STUDY: to spend time in God’s Holy Word, the Bible. Not just reading it, but applying what we learn by putting it into practice in our daily lives.

FELLOWSHIP: to be friends with God’s children. Doing life with other Christ followers, encouraging and uplifting one another.

SERVE: to help the weak and poor. Graciously giving of our time, talents, and treasures to those in need, whether in or outside of the church house walls.

SEEK: to yearn for his blessings. To be filled with His Holy Spirit, allowing Him to work in and through us in all we say and do for the glory of God.

The term sanctification is more often used in today’s language than holiness, which makes sense since they do go hand in hand. To sanctify something is to set it apart. When we ask for and allow God’s Holy Spirit to sanctify us, He sets us apart, making us holy.

Bottom line, in order to walk in God’s holiness, we must first be sanctified—set apart—by Him.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Which fruit of holiness listed above comes easily to you? Are you fully walking in that fruit?

2. Which fruit of holiness listed above do you need to ask God for help with?

3. How can you tangibly put into practice taking time to be holy?