Why Holy Matters
Acknowledge Him
Scripture Reading: Matthew 10:34-42
Key Verse: Matthew 10:32-33
“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”
Why should we live a holy life when it demands so much energy? That is the question for this week. In our printed key verse for today, Jesus makes a surprising and tough statement: If we disown Jesus before men, Jesus will disown us before the Father. Living a holy life is an acknowledgement of God and His commands. When we make a choice to live for God, it normally means we said no to an invitation to go the way of the world. Usually people are involved with those decisions; they see them and are affected by our decisions.
When our friends present us with an option that we know would dishonor God, that is the moment we must determine who we will follow. A lifestyle of holiness is a combination of our decisions to say yes to godliness and no to worldliness. When we say yes to God, we are acknowledging Him before men. In our scripture for today, Jesus is saying that He will acknowledge us before our Father in heaven for making those good choices.
It is a horrible thought when Jesus suggested that He would disown us. I can’t think of a greater motivation for holy living. I want to live my life today making decisions that will honor my Father in heaven! I never want my actions to say to anyone that I am not acknowledging my Savior! My humanness will keep me from perfect behavior, but my heart will always intend to do right and live holy!
Father, I will need your Spirit helping me to live a holy life today! Grant me your strength, I ask in Jesus’ Name, Amen.