Perfecting Holiness

Perfecting Holiness
…I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters… Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. —2 Corinthians 6: 17-18; 7: 1
In light of the great promises God gives in these verses, what should be our response?
First, we need to cleanse ourselves from all the filth that clings to us while we are out trying to fulfill the flesh. It is the filth we have planted in our minds—the thoughts, attitudes and desires that don’t belong in the mind of God’s child. How do you do this? You replace the wrong things with the right things. You fill your mind with the Word of God. As the psalmist said, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word” (Psalm 119: 9).
**What an amazing truth: You are a child of God.
Secondly, we need to separate ourselves from the unbelieving world around us. God wants His people to be holy. The Lord says, “Come out from among them and be separate. Do not touch what is unclean” (2 Corinthians 6: 17). Because of the great love God has shown us, and the great lengths He went to adopt us and call us His own, our response should be holiness. Since God desires that in His children, we should determine to live separate lives from those around us and walk in purity before God.
Through Jesus, God has received you and called you His own. Does that motivate you to bless and live for Him?
God, help me to be pure in thought, in heart, and in mind. Make me pure, as You are pure. As your child, help me represent you to a dying world. In Jesus’ name, amen.