Holiness Means Returning to God

🌅 Good morning

This morning’s Bible Word is… 📖

Psalm 77:13

“Your way, O God, is holy. What god is so great as our God?”
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When we hear the word “holy,” it can feel like such a high standard that we think it is impossible for us… 😢
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What does “holy” mean here…? 🤔

It concerns our whole life—from how we handle our words and money, to the choices we make in relationships, even to our thoughts when we are alone.
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When I think about holiness, two things come to mind.
One is “legalism.”
We push ourselves by our own effort 🥵
and when we become exhausted and realize we cannot do it, we fall into despair.
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The other is “assurance of salvation”…
cheap grace.
We think that because we have been saved, we can do anything and live however we want.
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But neither of those is the Gospel.
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We are not made righteous by works.
And the life of a person who has been made “righteous” through Jesus cannot simply remain as it was before becoming a Christian.
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Holiness is… 🤔
“repenting”❗️
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When we fall, we need repentance.
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Repentance is not a time merely to regret or to hate ourselves. It is the road back to God.
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The cross of Jesus Christ ✝️
is the love that forgives all your sins.
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In making you holy…
God does not make you a finished product overnight 😳
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It takes time❗️
When you look back at yourself… 😢
please do not think the change is too slow.
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What is a holy person…? 🤔
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Those who belong to the Lord (who continue to remain connected to Christ) are walking in God’s way…
so this morning too, let us walk with gratitude to the Lord❗️

Shalom 😃

This English page is a translation of the Japanese Morning Word published by At Home Church Okinawa. The Scripture quotation is from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB).