Stay Set Apart

Our family recently went on vacation to Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. We went with my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and their four kids. The extremely cool thing about this trip was that this was the first time that all 8 of the kids would experience the ocean.  My son and my youngest nephew (both 9 years old) loved scouring the beach for shells, especially at low tide in the evening.  They were intrigued by the vast variety of shapes and sizes of seashells. The boys had been collecting shells for a few days before I noticed what they were doing. Each had instinctively separated the broken shells from the “whole” shells. Not only that, but I also observed that each boy had also been toting around the “whole” shells.  They were essentially making a conscious choice to keep something close that was in a more complete, or even perfect condition. The boys had kept the shells set apart.  

I realize that those shells were a physical, tangible item—but I started looking at the actions of these boys through a spiritual filter, which then brought me to some self-assessment: 

How am I doing staying set apart for the Lord?

After Moses died, Joshua was appointed by the Lord to lead the people of Israel across the Jordan River first, and then into the land that had been promised to them (Joshua 1:1-3).  Now fast forward to chapter 3, where God’s people receive orders about crossing the Jordan from the officers in the camp. These folks were not the best at taking and following orders if you remember some of the situations that happened while Moses was in charge! But 40 years had gone by, and the people of Israel had learned a lot since then. Joshua gives them one last instruction as verse 5(NIV) states, “Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

Consecrate yourselves.

According to the Holman Bible Dictionary, consecrate/consecration is an intense theological term that “refers to persons or things being separated to or belonging to God. They are holy or sacred. They are set apart for the service of God.”

What were the requirements of consecration?  Exodus 19:10-15 shows us that they were to wash their clothes and abstain from sexual relations.  By doing this, they were dedicating themselves to the move of God that was going to take place (yes, believe it or not, washing clothes was not on the daily chore list!). They would have plenty of time to focus on this future encounter with the Lord and not on daily life.

Scripture in the New Testament reveals that we can commit to consecrating daily by offering our physical bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), by dedicating ourselves to the role of a royal priesthood (I Peter 2:29), and by living a repentant, holy, transformed life (1 John 1:9).

Ok then….how do I stay set apart?

Choose Jesus. Choose Him everyday.

Remember the shells? And how the boys were separating them every day as they collected them on the beach? After separating them, they chose the shells that were “whole.”  The boys chose “wholiness” over brokenness (see what I did there!?) Jesus is the only one who makes us whole.  We choose to be transformed by Him every day through His word and the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is living a consecrated life.

This is how to keep yourself set apart.

Don’t ever feel guilty about looking for that perfect seashell again:)

Living that Consecrated Life,

Lindsey Parks