Living Holy Lives In An Unholy Culture
March 4, 2008
by Linda Lail
Our culture would have us believe that living holy lives is old fashioned, passé, no longer relevant in our modern times. After all “we’ve come a long way baby” right? WRONG!!! We’ve come a long way backward.
Living holy lives is a great calling given to those of us who are preparing ourselves for Christ’s return. In Beth Moore’s study of the book of Daniel, we learned that Daniel and his three friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego refused to participate in the Babylonian culture in which they found themselves. They were called upon to live holy lives in a culture that was filled with selfishness, ego and a sense of entitlement. The motto of the Babylonian culture was, “it’s all about ME”. Does that sound familiar? I was surfing the TV channels recently when something caught my attention. It was a young attractive woman being interviewed about an audition she was going for. She was asked how she felt about what she would have to do if she was hired for the part. She said “well, I am religious and there is a little voice in the back of my head saying ‘you shouldn’t be doing that’, but (laughing) God forgives”. I thought how much like Babylon we have become in our culture. As His bride, have we bought into the allurement of the present and lost sight of what it means to live holy lives, set apart from the world?
To live holy means to live lives of integrity and purity. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego had to make a conscious choice to defy the king’s decree and follow their beliefs. They refused to partake of the king’s table and purposed in their hearts to eat what was healthy food (Daniel ch.1). Think about what the “king’s table” represented to Daniel and his three friends. It would mean that they would practice self-indulgence, become filled with pride and ego and become part of a culture that defied the only true and living God.
For the woman of God and the bride eagerly awaiting her Bridegroom, this same table is spread before us today and like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego we have to make a conscious choice of how we will respond. We have been called to live lives of integrity, purity, and holiness. This call is of major importance in today’s culture and it is of the utmost importance in the body of Christ. Let us be faithful to the One who loves us and is coming back for us!!
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