It seems living a holy life is no more than living to please God and it must be every believer’s priority. God requires each Christian to turn their lives over to Him. We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. We are told to become sanctified and holy. Sanctified means to separate ourselves from the world and give ourselves to God. We are told to prepare ourselves for heaven in the way we live. The Bible teaches us to let the Holy Spirit take our sinful, self-centered nature, our old habits and behaviors and let them be transformed to emulate the life of Christ.

As we grow spiritually we find our self-centered nature making it very difficult to live to please God. Many suffer from anger and others from revenge and unforgiveness. If someone cuts you off as you are driving, what is your reaction? Is it any different if someone insults you? Our original nature is constantly being tempted by the world’s lures.

I John 2:15 – 17 – – “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

God wants us to give up our self-control. It seems this is almost impossible for some to do. We are to die out to self and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. He wants us to have a spirit of generosity and to be committed to humble service. Our actions must reflect God’s value and not the world’s value.

The Bible has made it very clear what God expects of His children:

1.​Abel brought a sacrifice to God that was acceptable but his brother Cain did not. Apparently God had told them what he expected of each. One obeyed and one did not. The illustration of Abel teaches us the importance of worshiping God as Christ teaches and giving Him our very best. Tithing and sacrificing has been a part of worshiping God from the very beginning.

2.​Abraham left a very wealthy family who had status and at that time a home with walls and a ceiling. He departed to live the rest of his life as a nomad in tents. We learn from Abraham the importance of trusting in God and living by faith. Abraham trusted the future promises of God. It was Abraham’s faith that made him holy and righteous.

3.​Enoch walked with God for 300 years. He had developed a relationship with God that was so close that God took him to heaven without Enoch having to die. We learn from Enoch that God expects a relationship with Him from each of us and to worship Him through our daily walk.

4.​Noah was one of the most obedient of all God’s people. For 120 years he diligently built an ark and preached to people to change their lives. He had faith in the promise that God would do what He said He would do, destroy everyone with a flood. Noah teaches us the importance of obedience and persistence.

5.​Christ brought a New Covenant that included teachings under the Old Covenant, but the New Covenant made the laws, regulations, ceremonies and sacrifices of the Old Covenant obsolete. He did not abolish the teachings of the Old Testament for it gives prophecies of the future, history, examples of Godly people and the character of God. Under the New Covenant we are judged on our inner selves, our spirit and thoughts but not on our external actions. Doing good works will not get us to heaven. But if we have the right relationship with God and others, we will do good deeds with unconditional love.

Ephesians 5:3 – 7 – “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.
Obscenity and coarse joking are a part of the media. Improper language has no place in a Christian’s vocabulary. Yet, it seems that many use obscenity and foolish talk regularly.

Romans 8:9 – 11 – “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”

A Christian is a person who has the Spirit of God living in them. If you do not have the Spirit in you, you are a Christian in name only. You may not feel you have the Holy Spirit so in many situations you have to accept it as a promise that He would come in if you asked Him to. I believe you will recognize supernatural events if you are looking for them. You will be checked at times and you will begin to act as Christ directs. You will develop a desire to serve. As you grow spiritually you shall receive the fruits of the Spirit, which is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22 – 23). The fruit of the Spirit comes from the Spirit and are not characteristics that we can earn. Hence, if you have the Holy Spirit, He will change who you are to what Christ wants you to be. There then will be no doubt in your mind that you have been sealed by the Spirit.

Therefore, our purpose on earth is to develop an unconditional love for God and others and have a servant’s heart. As we head down life’s path our carnal nature, our self-centeredness, the storms we encounter and the devil’s seducing spirits will try to guide us too often onto the wrong paths. That’s when we check our compass, the Holy Spirit, and make sure we stay directed to the path that leads to the ultimate goal, which is living with God and Christ forever. When we take that last breath, what is the most important thing we can take with us? Is it all of our material things that we have accumulated? Or, is it eternal security to be with God?