1 Peter 1
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, I Peter 1:13-22 NKJV
God asks each of us to live holy lives. This means that we should be “set apart for the service of God” (Merriam-Webster dictionary). Living a holy life amidst the unholiness of an unbelieving society is difficult. But God does not leave us on our own to struggle in this area. He sent us the Holy Spirit to live in us and guide us along our journey, and He will do a complete and thorough work in us. It is “…the Spirit who makes you holy…” (2 Thessalonians 2:13, NLT). The work has already been done for us: “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time” (Hebrews 10:10). Our job is simply to set aside our selfish desires and let Him work through us. We purify ourselves by obeying the truth that God reveals to us in Scripture. One key Scripture that summarizes our role and how we can serve God is found in John 13:34: “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” When all we can think about is what we can do for ourselves or how we can get others to bless us, we are focused on our carnal desires. Definitely not holy. When we are focused on the needs of other people and how we can bless them, we find ourselves filled with the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of love. We are all set apart to serve God, in one way or another.
Don’t neglect the basics: love for God and love for others. What can you do to make someone else’s life better today? Start by doing just that, and you are on your way to living a holy life.