Benefit #5 — Holiness

If anyone cleanses himself from wickedness, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. 2 Timothy 2:21

We call the Bible holy not just because it is about God or because it is different from all other books. We call it holy because it is so valuable to everyone who reads it. Similarly, as Jesus saves us, we become saints, that is holy ones. We are holy not just because we have been set apart, but mostly because we have been changed and made valuable, both to God and to other people. Christians were “chosen to be saved through the sanctifying of the spirit,” which means it is now possible for us not to take pleasure in opposing God anymore. Jesus is holy: he has infinite, unexcelled, irreplaceable worth because he takes pleasure in all that God is. As he works this into our lives, we can be holy in all our behavior too. Every unit headed for the battlefield goes through a long preparation period, so that when it arrives it is “value added” to the commander. In this work-up, personnel purge their civilian attitudes and behaviors by focusing on their military values and actions. So we must, and can, make ourselves ready for the fight of faith every day, becoming holy by conforming ourselves to the pleasures of God.

Holy God, keep me focused on your delights as I prepare myself today for every good work. Amen.