Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Hebrews 12:14

Why is holiness so important for our spiritual lives? What sticks out to me is the last part of the phrase, “without holiness no one will see the Lord.” We are not able to truly have a relationship with the Lord unless we are pursuing him in holiness.

What is holiness? To be holy is to be set apart and dedicated to the Lord, morally pure, and seperated from evil. This is the very reason Christ came and died on the cross; so we would be made holy. His blood purifies us and cleanses us from our sins so that we can begin a relationship with the Lord. And he gave us the Holy Spirit to empowers us and gives us the ability to pursue God and gives us the strength and wisdom to make right choice (aka – be morally pure).

Another reason why it is important to be holy: other people will not see the Lordif you and I aren’t holy. We need to be dedicated to the Lord or else they won’t see how the Lord can really change their life and help them here and now. That’s what made people see the difference in the early Christians. They truly loved the Lord and loved others and people saw that it was something different.

Challenge: Be different. Be holy.