Read Leviticus 11:44-45

As Christians we live a life that is different—morally excellent, ethically beautiful. It's called a holy life. And God honours that. Because it's like He is. And according to Ephesians 5:1, we are to mimic God, living as He lives.

All of our Christian lives we have sung the old hymn "Take Time to Be Holy." Those words are true. It does take time to be holy. It certainly takes time to be mature. It takes time to cultivate a walk with the Lord that begins to flow naturally, because the enemy is so much more assertive and powerful than we...and so creative, so full of new ideas on how to derail us and demoralize us.

We need to lock onto that power that comes from God's presence and invite Him to cleanse our thoughts, to correct our foul speech, to forgive us completely, and make us holy vessels who, like those winged seraphim, spend our days bringing glory to His holy name.

Take a really honest look at your walk. Are there any areas where old sins have begun to take control again? This would be a wonderful time to allow Him to bring fresh order out of longstanding chaos.

God has called us to be holy, so let's be holy.

Excerpted from Day by Day with Charles Swindoll, Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (Thomas Nelson Publishers). All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.