Holy unto God!

“He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.” Deut 26:19

Moses spoke to the people a little while before they would enter into the Promised Land 40 years after leaving Egypt set-free by the LORD yet wandering all those years because of their own disobedience. He reminded them of what the LORD first told them. He reiterated the details of the sacrifices and festivals and of God’s requirements for personal and moral conduct, reminding them what was good and pleasing to God and what He abhorred. Moses declared in their hearing to follow all that God had commanded through him, saying to them, “You have declared…that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him…”

All of this is familiar territory to most who read the Bible on a regular basis and to the wandering people of God, Moses words must have seemed a formality to them like another sermon on another day of worship. But the last thought in the chapter, caught my eye like it never did before as I drank slowly from the days first cup of coffee. God spoke with such awesome words this most precious of promises, “…he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised.” Take a moment dear reader and prayerfully digest what God declared, what the Creator of all things just promised to those who are obedient to Him – I will set you in praise, fame and honor above all nations….AND I will consider you holy to Myself! AMAZING!

If we are zealous in our obedience to God, he will hold us in higher esteem than any nation he has previously honored. To be considered Holy and set apart for God first demands our desire to completely give ourselves in obedience to the Father. The rewards are great and the sacrifice is only giving up selfish desires in favor of serving the One who has done so much to save us from eternal darkness and separation from Him. As we come to understand how much God wants us to be holy to Him, it will become clear that if we make an effort to move toward God in obedience, he will draw us to Him making it ever easier to be obedient and receive the Father’s reward. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!