Memory Verse:
But
now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.
For the Scriptures say, "You
must be holy because I am holy." 1
Peter 1:15-16
 |
| Purity Be Holy |
Now you must be holy. Now…not later. He expects no less of us than He
expected of the Israelites. God expects
purity. He directed the Israelites, through Moses, on specifically how to be
pure and holy.
So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the
LORD your God. Keep all my decrees by putting them into practice, for I am the
LORD who makes you holy. Leviticus
20:7-8
We are
privileged to be chosen to be part of God’s family…to have the opportunity to be holy and know that one day we will
stand before our Heavenly Father. Praise Him now. Choose to be holy…now.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms
because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved
us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God
decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself
through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great
pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who
belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased
our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his
kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. Ephesians 1:3-8
Paul wrote to the church
at Ephesus that God graciously purchased our freedom. Freedom is not free. We
have been reminded about that right here in the United States since we just
celebrated the Fourth of July—our Independence Day. Men and women are
continuing to “purchase” our freedom with their time and lives as they serve in
the military and work in public service—as firefighter and policemen. The
distressing fact of alarming rates of increase in suicide in military and
police personal has recently been brought to light in the news media. Both
active duty and veteran military suffer from suicide rates that are 50% higher
than their civilian counterparts. What is happening within our military system?
As a wife of a US Veteran I am very concerned about this situation. The stress
level is overwhelming for these people—but like many people in our society
there is a stigma against seeking help. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
is well known throughout our country since it is recognized to affect anyone
who has experienced a traumatic event in their life. The best thing would be to
prevent or deal with the stressful situation before it gets to the level of
suicide.
Signs of
suicide as listed on the Mayo Clinic website, mayoclinic.org.
Suicide warning signs or
suicidal thoughts include:
·
Talking about suicide — for example, making statements such as
"I'm going to kill myself," "I wish I were dead" or "I
wish I hadn't been born"
·
Getting the means to take your own life, such as buying a gun or
stockpiling pills
·
Withdrawing from social contact and wanting to be left alone
·
Having mood swings, such as being emotionally high one day and
deeply discouraged the next
·
Being preoccupied with death, dying or violence
·
Feeling trapped or hopeless about a situation
·
Increasing use of alcohol or drugs
·
Changing normal routine, including eating or sleeping patterns
·
Doing risky or self-destructive things, such as using drugs or
driving recklessly
·
Giving away belongings or getting affairs in order when there's
no other logical explanation for doing this
·
Saying goodbye to people as if they won't be seen again
·
Developing personality changes or being severely anxious or
agitated, particularly when experiencing some of the warning signs listed above
Warning signs aren't
always obvious, and they may vary from person to person. Some people make their
intentions clear, while others keep suicidal thoughts and feelings secret.
There are phone numbers to call for help.
If you are in crisis dial 911 or 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).
Don’t ignore the
warning signs. If you see or even suspect suicidal thoughts or actions in
yourself or others…seek help. God wants us to respect these bodies that He has
created to be holy…and to commit suicide is beyond tragic and disrespectful.
Prayer
~ Lord Jesus, open our eyes to those around us and give us the courage to seek
help in stressful situations. You have set us free…given us freedom. It wasn’t
free for You.
Daily
Bible Reading: Micah
© 2019 Text and
photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
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