"But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do" (1 Peter 1:15).
Modern Christianity has inadvertently tried to squeeze its followers into a mold.
Thankfully it's not like the world's mold, where anything goes and beliefs are tossed like roadside litter. But does its "mold" aim to turn out Christians who impress their culture with what they are skilled to do, rather than what they are intended to be? In many cases, yes. Methods often take top shelf over message, and relevance often overshadows responsibility.
But today's spiritual hunger won't settle for samples, like those offered in discount store kiosks. There is a quiet revolution of digging deeper into Christ's qualifications for twenty-first-century life and ministry.
Peter's reminder shines like a neon light on a midnight street. But alarmingly, it starts with a "just as." The life of Jesus is the standard for right living in a morally challenged society. We're not called to copy His copiers, we're called to copy Him.
Note that the Scriptural call is all-encompassing: "be holy in all you do." Our holiness isn't for display only; it's for out of the box use. It starts with what we think. Holiness influences the mind, making it uncomfortable with the world's thoughts. Our task is to push the devil's whispers aside by thinking on the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and excellent (Philippians 4:8).
It includes how we act.
God calls us to be roses, not thorns. The aroma of kindness, gratitude, courtesy, and patience best reflects our holy calling. And it invades every conversation, meeting, or duty.
It also includes what we do.
Again, the life of Jesus is the model. He came to seek the lost, engage the friendless, heal the hurting, and teach the unknowing. Every method should be an attempt to do what He did.
