We don't mind talking about holiness as an abstract (and unattainable, therefore not to be strived for) subject. However, once the concept gets personal, and starts to interfere with our lifestyle, we become very uncomfortable, very quickly. Are you pursuing a life of holiness? Or is it enough for you to just call yourself a Christian?

A story is told of an elderly couple who moved out of their home after 50 years. In going through the home after the parents were gone, the children found absolutely nothing in their home that was inconsistent with their faith. If someone went through your own home, is there anything that would be found inconsistent with your faith? The movies you've watched, your old checkbook registers, your books and magazines, your clothing?

Although true holiness manifests itself in our outward and visible behavior, true holiness starts on the inside: our thoughts, attitudes, values, and motives --- those innermost parts of our hearts that only God can see.

Dedicating ourselves to living a holy life creates joy, peace, and beauty in our homes and in our lives. That beauty overflows to those around us. If we do not root out sin in our lives, sooner or later, it will rob us of everything that is truly beautiful and desirable.

The message of repentance and holiness must be proclaimed, heard, and needed among God's people in every generation. It needs to transform the way we think and the way we live. At times our desires for sin seems so strong that the prospect of pursuing holiness may seem burdensome, and even impossible. PRAY, asking God to give you a new sense of joy and delight in the concept of personal holiness.