Image from pauldazet.com
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. You shall not render an unjust judgement; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbour.You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbour: I am the Lord.You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbour, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18)
We tend to shy away from holiness or purity thinking, "We don't want people to think we're being 'holier than thou' in our way of living," but we're missing the point. As God was forming the people of Israel into a nation in the wilderness, holiness was very much what God expected of them. Here is Moses hearing from God what he should say to the people. God wanted a nation of priests, or a nation that set the example of how to best live with one another, and the foundation is holiness. If we are made in the image of God, which we are, then that image should be holiness, for God is holy. Then God shares a partial list of how we should act with others: Be just people; show no partiality to the poor or rich; fair with our neighbors in judgment. We should not slander our people, nor should we profit from the death of our neighbors. We should not hate in our hearts anyone; we should speak in ways that build up our neighbors; we should not take revenge or bear a grudge against any of our people. We should love our neighbor as ourself. And to seal it, God said, "I am the Lord." No arguments, just obedience.
To be a disciple of Jesus should separate us apart from the rest of the world. Our actions should show that God truly lives in us and really guides us. Our words, our actions should reflect the presence of the holy in us. To live and act just like everyone else defeats our calling ourselves Christians or followers of Christ. The old adage, If accused of being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict? is a good one to help us judge how we are living with others. The rhetoric and glamor of today's world cries out for people to love one another, to show a better way, and to a voice of hope and compassion. We are rapidly becoming a people consumed just with ourselves when the above passage is all about others.
Begin making a difference today in how you treat others. Make it Valentine's Day all over again.
PRAYER: Loving God, help me be the person you called me to be. I want to be holy, and I want to be loving. Help me to love others the way I love myself; not wanting to hurt them or slander them; let me be a voice of change and hope. For I pray this in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
PS there will be no video today with this devotional.
