"Be ye holy, for I am holy"

Micah chapter 3 deals a lot with the false teachers and the people who love to do evil instead of good. It also tells what the result is for those who live that kind of lifestyle. In verse 4 it says “Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.” Wow! What a sad verse! Those who have lived their lives for themselves and deliberately chosen to go their own way will one day come to the realization that they were deceived. They will cry out to God to save them, but He will not hear them! In fact He will even hide His face from them because He is so ashamed at the example and testimony they have been setting in His name. This verse is talking about the Israelites and the fact that they called themselves Gods people yet they did not follow His commandments and lived their lives like the world. Yet this verse held some really personal application for me. How many times has God felt like hiding His face in shame because of the kind of example I am setting in my home, with my friends and even at church, all the while, claiming to be His child and doing it in His name? 1 Peter 1:15-16 says “But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Because it is written, “Be ye holy for I am holy” God has set the example for us and His example was one of complete holiness. Obviously, as humans, we can never attain complete holiness until heaven, but we ARE to be striving to follow Christ’s example of holiness in the time we spend here on earth. So then I asked myself “How do we do that? What do we have to do in order to be striving for holiness?” In the beginning of Micah 7 it talks a lot about the weakness of man and the evil of the world. It's actually very depressing to read! But Micah doesn’t end the book with discouragement. He says in verse 7-8 “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; when I fall, I shall arise! When I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me!” Wow! What an encouraging verse! Basically Micah is saying here that those of us who are in Christ can say to our enemies “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch! ;) Even though we fail and continually mess up, we WILL get back up! We have the Lord on our side and when we feel confused, frustrated, rejected or unsure, God is there for us, guiding us every step of the way! So don’t start rejoicing! You AREN’T going to get the victory!” AMEN!!!! ;) So, how do we strive for holiness? Keep getting back up! God doesn’t expect us to be perfect. He simply expects us to come to Him and He will show the way.
Chrystal

Micah 7:18- "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. "