We are Called to Be Set Apart

Lately, I've been reading the Book of Leviticus, and if you know anything about Leviticus, you know it's intense.

However, even while reading through the thick of all of the highly specific commands that the Lord spoke through Moses, the Lord reveals something through it all - that we are called to be set apart.

A picture of my Bible opened to Leviticus, with the verse in the picture being Leviticus 20:26, another verse where the Lord talks about us being set apart.

Some Background into Leviticus

If you've never read the Book of Leviticus (which I highly recommend you do), it starts after God established the covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai, and after God brought the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery through His intercession with Moses.

Leviticus dives heavily into what's called the Laws of Moses, or the laws that were very important for all of God's people to follow at the time of the Old Testament. These laws discuss how people should eat, dress, have sex, and even how to sacrifice animals in the case of sin.

Yes, you heard that right. People back then had to offer up animals and other things in the form of sacrifice if and when they committed sins. Imagine if we had to do that in today's day and age. All I'm saying is that there'd be a LOT of animals being sacrificed from a LOT of us, especially considering there's way more people on Earth now compared to back in approximately 1446 BC.

After chapters and chapters of dense reading into all of these very specific proceedings, we get to Leviticus 20:24, which provides some consolation and a great explanation to the Lord's followers as to why they had to follow all of these rules:

"And I promised you: You will inherit their land, since I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God who set you apart from the people."

Did you pick up on that last sentence? The Lord says that He is the Lord our God, who set us apart from the people.

So, what does it mean to be set apart? What does it mean to be holy?

What Does it Mean to be Set Apart? Why Must we Be Set Apart?

To be set apart, we are called to behave differently from how non-believers might behave. We are called to dress differently, treat others differently, and just live our day to day lives differently from the others.

Does this mean we have to be completely separate from non-believers? Of course not! If anything, the Lord wants us to be amongst the non-believers, so that they might see our good works and give glory to Him (Matthew 5:16).

Being set apart from non-believers does not mean we have a superiority complex or that we have to isolate ourselves from the outside world. It means that we must reflect the Lord and His character. Let's dive into reasons as to why we must be set apart from the world:

1. We must act holy like the Lord. Backtracking to Leviticus 11:45, the Lord says that we must be holy because He is holy. To be holy means to be separate from sin. Now, of course, we all sin and we all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). However, we must make the conscious effort in our everyday lives to not repeatedly sin. Naturally, with the sinful nature of this world, this calls us to be set apart because sin does not mix with holiness.

2. We must be witnesses of God's love. Going back to what I quoted from Matthew 5:16, the Lord calls us to be a light in our communities. We must show love to one another regardless of who they are or what they've done, because the Lord did the same for us by dying on the cross for our sins. By truly loving others and by not engaging in the sinful acts of this world, we are set apart, and the Lord's light shines through us.

3. We must maintain an identity in God's Kingdom, not in this world. As we all know, this world is merely temporary. Our lives on this earth last for only a split second compared to the eternity we'll get to spend in Heaven. Our identities must be rooted in God's true purpose for us, not in the fleeting things of the earth. We must give grace, be advocates for justice, and spread peace and love to all.

   
   

To sum up all of these points, we must be set apart from the world because as Christians, we are called to imitate Christ.

How I Set Myself Apart

For years, I was what you'd call a "lukewarm Christian". I'd say I believed in Jesus Christ, yet I'd also believe in zodiac signs and do tarot card readings. I'd say I loved God, yet I'd judge His children. The list goes on of how lukewarm I used to be.

However, when I started diving deeper into my faith, I knew that I had to ditch my old lifestyle. I left friendships that weren't Godly. I threw away all of my crystals, incense, tarot cards, and any other spiritual items. I got rebaptized in the name of Jesus. I got filled with the Holy Ghost and started speaking in tongues. I joined a ministry that gave me Godly friends. I entered a Godly relationship after years of being in relationships that encouraged deliberate sinning and unholy behavior.

Basically, I did everything that the Before Christ (B.C.) version of me would call my present self a crazy person for. But I knew that if I was going to follow the Lord, I had to follow His command that was stated in His Word and set myself apart.

Me at my Delight kickoff event!

Start Setting Yourself Apart!

Have you been living a "lukewarm" Christian lifestyle lately? Are you a Christian, but do you still try to be just like everyone else? Well, I'm calling you to ditch your worldly appearance.

I'm calling you to stop worrying about what this world thinks of you. I'm calling you to get in your Word, to get in constant prayer with the Lord, to worship Him and to not think of yourself. Let Him fill your life completely. Surrender everything to Him, and I mean everything. Your flesh is going to be terrified, but your soul will be saved.

Give your life to Jesus. I promise you, you won't regret it.