Fields United Methodist Church

Celebrate Jesus!

Pastor Tom Joyce

May 16, 2022

“Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

I Peter 1:15-16

Holiness is for God and those who are just good people, who lead good lives and never do anything wrong; that is what I used to think. How can God ask me to be holy because I certainly do not fit my definition of holy.  Thank God we don’t make the requirements, God does, and God alone.  You are truly called to be holy, not because of who you are but because of who Jesus is and what Jesus did for you. Being holy is experiencing the world through the lens of the love of Jesus, living out the commandments to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and your neighbor as yourself. So being holy is not memorizing every verse in the Bible or being able to sing every Christian song ever written and in the right key. Being holy is just living out the gift of grace in everyday relationships, with those we like, and even with those we may not agree with or understand. Living a holy life is about not being “overcome by evil, but overcoming evil with good.” (Romans 12:21) Holiness is a choice between following the whims of culture or the eternity of Jesus, which is peace, joy, hope, and amazing grace. May you be the very reflection of the love of God in Christ Jesus; it is not only possible it is offered to you today. You are holy because you are loved and precious in the sight of God.