The Holier We Are, the More He Shows
Day 65 · Leviticus 11:44-47 · 19 July 2026
📖 TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Leviticus 11:44-47 (NIV)
“I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground. I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy… You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.”
Today’s John 15 thread: Jesus says in John 15:3, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” Holiness in the New Covenant is not primarily about external rules — it is about staying connected to the One who is holy. The branch that abides in the Vine becomes like the Vine. The holier we are, the more clearly others see Him in us.
✍️ REFLECTION
Leviticus chapters 11 to 13 are not the most obvious place to find a defining statement about who God is. Chapters of food laws, regulations about skin diseases, and purification rituals after childbirth — I was genuinely surprised the Bible gives an entire chapter to something like that. And right in the middle of all of it, God says: “be holy, because I am holy.”
That is the context. Not a mountain with fire and thunder. Not a dramatic vision. A chapter about what you eat and what you touch. And God says — here, in the ordinary details of daily life, be holy, because I am holy.
There are a few things I notice in these two verses. First, there is a part we play: “consecrate yourselves.” This is not passive. God does not say He will make us holy while we sit still. He calls us to the act of setting ourselves apart. Second, the standard He sets is Himself: “be holy, as I am holy.” We are to mirror God, not just follow a list of rules. And third, the reason He gives is His own character and His own faithfulness: “I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God.” The call to holiness is not disconnected from His grace. He brought them out first. Then He calls them to be holy.
Q1: Is there an area of your life right now where God is calling you to actively consecrate yourself — to take a step of setting yourself apart — but you have been waiting for Him to do it for you? What would it look like to take that step today?
Today the specific food laws and ceremonial regulations do not apply to me. Jesus fulfilled what those things were pointing to, and the cross made a way for us to be set apart before God forever — not through animal sacrifices or food restrictions, but through Him. But the principle underneath all of it remains completely intact: God wants His people to be set apart from the things of the world that pull them away from Him.
The holier we are, the more clearly others see Him in us. And I want to be careful about what “holier” means here. It does not mean walking on air or being so pig-headed about our spirituality that we refuse to associate with anyone outside the church. That is not what the Lord is saying. What He is saying is something more personal: do not let the things of the world make you unclean in your heart. Do not let them in. Because if they get in, the world will not be able to see God through you.
Q2: What are you letting in right now that is genuinely pulling you away from God? And how clearly do others actually see God in you this week — not in your church life, but in your ordinary daily life, in how you speak and respond and treat the people immediately around you?
It is worth remembering that these laws were given while Israel was on the road to Canaan — the Promised Land. This was not a set of rules handed down after they had arrived and settled. This was preparation for the journey. You do not get to the fullness of what God has for you while still carrying the things He has called you to leave behind. Holiness is not a reward for arriving — it is part of what gets you there.
Q3: Where on your own road to the Promise Land have you stopped taking holiness seriously — not as performance, but as preparation? What is one thing you could do today to consecrate yourself a little more fully to God?
🌿 REMAIN IN HIM
Take a moment before you move on. This is not a to-do. It is an invitation to stay.
Reflect honestly:
What is making you “unclean” right now — not in the ceremonial sense, but in the sense of things you are letting in that are pulling you away from God? Name them honestly.
Bring it to Jesus:
Ask Him for the wisdom to distinguish between the clean and the unclean in your specific life context. This is not a list of rules — it is a conversation with the One who brought you out of Egypt. You could pray something like: “Lord, show me what I am letting in. Give me the wisdom to know what is clean and what is not in the world I actually live in. I want others to see You in me — not a performance of religion, but You.”
Trust the Gardener:
A branch that abides produces fruit that points to the Vine — others see the Vine through the fruit. The goal of holiness is not your reputation. It is His visibility through you.
🙏 PRAYER
Father, You call me to be holy because You are holy. Not to earn something, but because You brought me out and You are my God. Show me what I am letting in that is pulling me away from You — the things I have allowed to make me less like You without even noticing. Give me the wisdom to know the difference between the clean and the unclean in the world I actually live in. And let others see You more clearly in me today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
💡 MEMORY VERSE
Leviticus 11:44-45 (NIV): “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground. I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.”
This post is part of the Abide in Him Daily devotional series, reading Scripture through the lens of John 15:1–17. The branch doesn’t manufacture the fruit. It bears it because it stays connected to the Vine.
