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OTHERS MAY, I MAY NOT

“As obedient children do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” I Peter 1:14-16 NIV. Learning to turn away from appealing but short-lived gratification is a process. We tend to think of holiness as a rules-based form of living, but it’s not so much what we do or not do, holiness is sensitivity and obedience to God’s voice. It is primarily inward, not outward. I began to grumble how unfair it seemed that many others around me appeared to be less restricted than I. As I questioned the Lord I heard Him speak clearly in my heart: “Others may, you may not.” I said out loud with sarcastic indignation: “That’s it? Others may, I may not?!!” Silence. His answer required no further explanation. Father, you discipline the ones You love. Forgive my contemptuous hubris; Your high call requires my very best. Period.

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