Thursday Open Heavens Devotional - The Holy God!

MEMORISE: But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Psalm 22:3.

READ: Exodus 15:9-11.
9.The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. 10.Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. 11.Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

MESSAGE
Holiness is an intrinsic part of God's nature; it is His very essence. Everything about Him is wrapped up in holiness. His love, mercy, power, justice, glory and all of His character reflect His holiness. Every action of God is designed to perpetuate His holiness. When He exhibits love, it is borne out of His holiness. If He is angry, it is because of His holiness. When He judges sin, it is out of His holiness. In His dealings with all His creatures, whether in Heaven, on earth or beneath the earth, one theme rings out: holiness. No wonder the seraphs in His presence keep repeating "Holy, Holy, Holy". Isaiah 6:3 says this about them: "And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory."
Similarly, Apostle John reports of the four beasts in Heaven who do not rest day and night as they chant: "...Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." Revelations 4:8. In the same vein, Psalm 48:1 says God's mountain is the mountain of holiness, while Psalm 93:5 says God's house is holiness. His glory also is reflective of His holiness, hence in Exodus 15:11, He is said to be "glorious in holiness". Furthermore, in Isaiah 35:8, His way is called the way of holiness. As a result of these, it is very easy to trace God's address in Heaven. If you want to visit Him, simply ask for holiness way, mountain of holiness, holiness house, holiness throne, glory of holiness, and you will meet God Himself who is holiness personified!

If you understand how holy God is, then you will appreciate why He cannot stand sin in any form. When God called you out of sin, He called you into holiness. Jesus understands the Father perfectly, hence He used His Father's measure of perfection as the standard we should follow (Matthew 5:48). In other words, we should blend into God to the extent that His holiness will flow through us. You cannot be holy on your own. Nobody can. But if you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you are at the starting point. From there, God will give you the grace to be holy as you submit to Him, obey Him and flee from sin.

PRAYER POINT: Father, let Your nature of holiness flow seamlessly through me every second from today.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: PSALM 69-72 AND HEBREWS 8.