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Daily Bread - June 15, 2026 (The Second Day - Genesis 1:6-8)
2 Corinthians 7:1 - Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God
If we love the Lord, we will obey Him and allow His presence to dominate our lives. In His presence, yielded to the Holy Spirit, we will passionately love the ways of God and hate evil because it is opposed to Who He is (Psalm 45:7, 97:10; Hebrews 1:9). We are in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation, and if we participate with it, then there will be no light shining. God’s love for righteousness, manifested in us, is the light of His life that must shine through us (Matthew 5:14-16; John 3:19-21; Philippians 2:15). In this holiness God has given us, we are made separate and unique from all that is in the world around us (Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 7:6, 14:2, 26:18; 2 Corinthians 6:17-18; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9). To dwell with God, we must be willing to learn obedience and give ourselves to having clean hands and a pure heart, and our joy should be found in walking uprightly and working righteousness (Psalms 24:3-4, 15:1-2).
With the coming of the Holy Spirit, ethical holiness was emphasized even more than it was in the Old Testament. Holiness in the New Testament equips us to live free from sin through the divine empowerment of the blood of Jesus and the Spirit of the Living God (Romans 6:13-22; 1 John 1:6, 2:1, 14, 3:5, 8-9, 24, 5:18). Thus, the word god-likeness, or godliness, captures the New Testament meaning of holiness beyond that which was expressed or understood in the Old Testament. Jesus, our Redeemer, is identified as the Holy One of God, and as He is, even so are we in this world (Luke 1:35, 4:34; Acts 3:14, 4:27, 30; Hebrews 7:26; 1 John 2:6, 4:17; Revelation 3:7).
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
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