Steadfast
When I think of set apart, I think of someone who has identified what they believe, why they believe it, and are willing to walk it out every single day. Not that they’re perfect, as we all mess up and make mistakes, but they are making a concerted effort to follow the path God has for them.
I’m reminded of a scripture in Corinthians where Paul talks about being steadfast, immovable:
I Corinthians 15:58 NKJV
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
Steadfast means to “firmly fixed in place, not subject to change, firm in belief, determination, or adherence”. I don’t know about you, but that’s how I want my Christian walk to be defined. Not that we don’t continue to learn and pursue Jesus, but our core beliefs never change.
Journal | What areas of your life do you feel like the Holy Spirit is touching, where you have allowed yourself to slack off in your convictions and pursuit of Jesus?
Paul encourages us to step out from among the crowd, aka culture or how social media would define us:
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 NLT
“Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.””
Peter reminds us that:
1 Peter 2:9 NLT
“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
In Philippians, Paul talks about his accolades and what has set him apart from other people up until the moment he met Jesus face-to-face.
Philippians 3:2-11 NLT
“Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!”
Paul had every right to brag about his religious upbringing, but he recognized those things were done in his own strength and not through the power of the Spirit inside of him.
As we walk through this series, “Set Apart,” let’s begin by looking inward, examining our own hearts and recognizing the areas where we need to grow to become more like Christ, before we ever point a finger at someone else. It won’t happen overnight, but it’s a daily decision to choose holiness, leaning in to the Holy Spirit as He guides us through our day. I’m reminded of an old worship song that goes like this:
Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary,
Pure and holy, tried and true
With Thanksgiving, I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for you.
May this be our prayer today and every day as we make the decision to be set apart, steadfast in our relationship with Jesus. May we not give into the pressure of the world around us to conform to their perspective but may we lean into the Holy Spirit on how we need to walk this out.
Prayer | Dear Jesus, thank You for calling me out from among the crowd to follow you. I have not always walked with the conviction and holiness that You ask of me. Please reveal the areas in my life where I have allowed my flesh or the world to compromise who You have called me to be. I choose today to renew my commitment to You and to pursue You to the best of my ability. May my walk be seasoned with grace and love so that others may come to know You by my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
I’m reminded of a scripture in Corinthians where Paul talks about being steadfast, immovable:
I Corinthians 15:58 NKJV
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
Steadfast means to “firmly fixed in place, not subject to change, firm in belief, determination, or adherence”. I don’t know about you, but that’s how I want my Christian walk to be defined. Not that we don’t continue to learn and pursue Jesus, but our core beliefs never change.
Journal | What areas of your life do you feel like the Holy Spirit is touching, where you have allowed yourself to slack off in your convictions and pursuit of Jesus?
Paul encourages us to step out from among the crowd, aka culture or how social media would define us:
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 NLT
“Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.””
Peter reminds us that:
1 Peter 2:9 NLT
“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
In Philippians, Paul talks about his accolades and what has set him apart from other people up until the moment he met Jesus face-to-face.
Philippians 3:2-11 NLT
“Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!”
Paul had every right to brag about his religious upbringing, but he recognized those things were done in his own strength and not through the power of the Spirit inside of him.
As we walk through this series, “Set Apart,” let’s begin by looking inward, examining our own hearts and recognizing the areas where we need to grow to become more like Christ, before we ever point a finger at someone else. It won’t happen overnight, but it’s a daily decision to choose holiness, leaning in to the Holy Spirit as He guides us through our day. I’m reminded of an old worship song that goes like this:
Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary,
Pure and holy, tried and true
With Thanksgiving, I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for you.
May this be our prayer today and every day as we make the decision to be set apart, steadfast in our relationship with Jesus. May we not give into the pressure of the world around us to conform to their perspective but may we lean into the Holy Spirit on how we need to walk this out.
Prayer | Dear Jesus, thank You for calling me out from among the crowd to follow you. I have not always walked with the conviction and holiness that You ask of me. Please reveal the areas in my life where I have allowed my flesh or the world to compromise who You have called me to be. I choose today to renew my commitment to You and to pursue You to the best of my ability. May my walk be seasoned with grace and love so that others may come to know You by my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
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