Live Holy

CONSIDER THIS

Who knew? A small mammal lives in the forests of northern Eurasia whose coat changes color in the wintertime, from a rough brown to a brilliant glossy white. Spotless, undefiled, pure. It’s called an ermine. 

Instinctively, the ermine protects its white coat against anything that would soil it. Fur hunters know this. Instead of setting a snare, they smear the entrance of their homes — usually found in a cleft of a rock or an old hollow tree — with gunk and grime. Then the hunting dogs are set loose to find the ermine. The frightened animal flees toward its home, but doesn’t enter because of the filth. Rather than tarnish its white coat, it is trapped by the dogs and captured while preserving its purity. For the ermine, purity is more precious than life.

What do you think of when you hear the word “holy”? Perhaps: quiet, devout, pious, saintly…can’t touch that! Open a dictionary and there’s a variety of definitions: set apart, consecrated, sacred, spiritually perfect or pure, untainted by evil or sin. That’s quite a mouthful. We know God is holy. And the apostle Paul makes it clear in 1 Thessalonians: God wants you to live a pure holy life, to ultimately live in a way that pleases God.

What’s that look like? The guidelines are given to us of how to walk to please the Lord. So keep doing so — more and more. The essence of holiness is selfless love. Jesus Himself is our example. Holiness is Christ in me. Walk in His footsteps. Choose to be spotless, undefiled, pure and holy.