Set Apart

How different does your life look from the world around you?

We need to consider this question because God has called us not only to believe differently from the world. He has called us to live differently.

1 Peter 1 says, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance…” Then Peter gives us the reason: “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.”

To be holy means to be set apart. God has called us out of the world and to Himself. We no longer belong to the world. We belong to the Holy God. Because of this, our lives should increasingly reflect holiness in all our conduct. Our conduct should be set apart from the world and different from our former passions.

Yet, if we are honest, we often fill our minds with the same values that belong to our old way of life, the world.

Consider how you spend your time. Think about what you watch, what you listen to, and what you scroll through. These things shape us. They shape what we think about. They shape what we desire. As a result, they shape how we live.

Let me be clear: not every movie, game, podcast, or hobby is sinful. God gives us good gifts to enjoy. But we need to be sober-minded about how those things shape our hearts.

How can we expect to grow in holiness if we keep feeding our hearts with the world? Scripture tells us to put to death the deeds of the flesh. But it is hard to kill something that you continually feed.

So we need to ask ourselves: Is what I am watching and listening to shaping me toward holiness? Or is it shaping me toward the passions of my former ignorance? Is it helping me love what God loves, or teaching me to love what the world loves?

My exhortation to you is this:

As the One who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.

Because you belong to Him, pursue holiness in how you spend your time.