Be Holy. Because You Matter
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
When we are “holy” we are, as Merriam-Webster tells us, “exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness”
As I have commented a few times before, God calls us to be holy.
Ponder that for a moment.
God calls us to be holy.
God calls us to be “exalted.”
God calls us to be “worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.”
In this passage from Romans, the Apostle Paul reminds us that this has always been God’s eternal calling to us. This was the calling God gave the Israelites in Leiviticus 19. This was the prayer that Jesus made on behalf of His disciples in the Garden at Gesthamene the night of his arrest.
God wants us to be holy.
God wants us to be “exalted.”
God wants us to be “worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.”
In all things, God wants us to be lifted up. In all things, God wants us to lift each other up. In all things, God calls us daily to be and do exactly that.
In all things, God is telling us—reminding us—that we matter. God is telling us—reminding us—that we are important.
As Jesus assured His disciples when He sent them forth to minister to the lost sheep of Israel, “we are worth many sparrows”.
We have value. We have worth. We have value and we have worth simply because we are human, simply because we are created by God in God’s own image.
That we are human is our worth. That we are human is our worth to each other.
That you are human is your worth. That you are human is your worth to me. That you are human is your worth to everyone.
That you are human is your worth to yourself.
That I am human is my worth to myself.
This is how God sees us. This is how God values us. Does the world see us this way? Does the world value people just because they are people?
How can the world value people thus, when it speaks of some workers as “essential” and some workers as not?
How can the world value people thus, when it speaks of some jobs as being “good” and some jobs as being not?
Indeed, what a transformation it is to shift perspective from valuing people based on what they can do for others to valuing people merely because they are people!
Think of it: we sin, we make mistakes, we screw things up all the time, and yet God still wants us to be exalted and worthy of complete devotion.
Think of it: what parent stops loving their child merely because they are disobedient? What parent stops wanting the best for their child merely because they make mistakes?
We sin, we make mistakes, we screw things up all the time, and yet God still calls us to excellence.
This is God’s constant calling to us. Is it not a call worth answering, just for its own sake?
Yet we must remember that this is not merely a calling for how we are to be to others. This is also a calling for how we are to be to ourselves.
The Apostle Paul urges us to present our bodies as “living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God”. When we answer God’s call to excellence, essential to that call is lifting up our own existence—our own physical existence. As we seek to live lives worthy of being exalted, we must nurture our bodies as worthy vessels to the exalted.
Whatever else we do, we must care for and be mindful of ourselves and our physical needs.
Even as we are transformed by the call to excellence in valuing all those around us, we must in like fashion value ourselves. We are neither first nor last, but co-equal.
Even as we value others, we must value ourselves.
Even as we care for others, we must care for ourselves.
Even as we strive for excellence towards others, we must strive for excellence towards ourselves.
Even as we lift up others, we must lift up ourselves.
If what we do is harmful to us, God wants us to stop doing that.
If what we do is dragging us down, God wants us to stop doing that.
If what we do leaves us sick and sad, God wants us to stop doing that.
What we should do instead is that which is helpful to us.
What we should do instead is that which lifts us up.
What we should do instead is that which leaves us healthy and happy.
That is the essence of all transformation—to stop doing one thing and start doing another.
That is the essence of the transformation we are called to make, not just by the Apostle Paul but also by God. We are called to be transformed away from that which is harmful and towards that which is helpful. We are called to be transformed away from that which drags us down and towards that which lifts us up. We are called to be transformed away from that which leaves us sick and sad, and towards that which leaves us healthy and happy.
My prayer for you this day, and every day, is that you will hear God’s call to excellence, and that you will answer that call. My prayer for you is that you will be transformed by the answer to that call.
My prayer for you is that you will always strive to be holy, because you absolutely matter, because you without question are worth nothing less.
I appreciate your thoughtful reflection on holiness and human worth. Your message resonates deeply with me, especially in how you connect God's call to holiness with our inherent value as human beings.
I particularly agree with your emphasis on applying this principle both to others and to ourselves. It's often easier to recognize the worth in others while neglecting our own value, so your reminder to care for ourselves as part of our spiritual journey is powerful.
Your interpretation of transformation - moving from harmful to helpful behaviors - is beautifully simple yet profound. It provides a practical framework for living out our faith in daily life.
The contrast you draw between God's view of human worth and the world's often transactional perspective is thought-provoking. It challenges us to reconsider how we value ourselves and others in society.
Thank you for this uplifting message. It serves as an important reminder of our calling to excellence and the divine worth inherent in every person, including ourselves. Your words encourage us to strive for holiness while embracing our intrinsic value as God's creation.
A powerful supporting verse for this message would be:
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." - 1 Peter 2:9
This verse beautifully reinforces the key themes of the article:
It emphasizes our calling to holiness ("a holy nation").
It underscores our inherent worth to God ("God's special possession").
It highlights our transformation ("called you out of darkness into his wonderful light").
It suggests a purpose for this calling and transformation ("that you may declare the praises of him").
This verse from Peter's letter encapsulates the idea that we are called to be holy, that we have intrinsic value to God, and that this calling involves a transformation of our lives. It supports your message about recognizing our worth and striving for excellence in how we treat ourselves and others.
Truer words were never spoken, Peter.
Someone once said that God is like the ocean, and each one of us is like a drop of water in the ocean. A drop of water is not the ocean, but we have some of the same properties of the ocean. We - our eternal Consciousness- make up some of the ocean, and each drop of water is important, each drop is of equal worth. We must cherish and care for ourselves, and for every other soul, and strive to be loving as God loves.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” - Matthew 5:6