“Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” (Amos 3:3 NLT)

God is holy, which means not only that He is sinless and perfect, but also that He is distinct and set apart from all other beings. His holiness dictates our relationship with Him. He will not bend His rules or change His character to get closer to us. He demands that we pursue holiness so that we can get closer to Him. And for that, we can praise Him. Because the pursuit of holiness is what brings genuine joy and fulfillment to our lives. When we lose sight of that pursuit, things tend to go awry.

I had a German shepherd that was a former guide dog for the blind. Because he had slight hip dysplasia, he was put up for adoption. When we got him, he was perfectly trained. We could take him anywhere. He was happy to sit next to us. Another dog would walk by, and he couldn’t have cared less.

Then I got ahold of him. I would unleash him and let him run around in the park. Day by day his behavior started getting worse. The next thing you know, he was lunging at dogs and taking off after cats and rabbits and squirrels.

I called the people we got him from and asked what went wrong. They told me I couldn’t let him do all that “dog stuff.” I couldn’t let him stop and sniff where he wanted to sniff. I couldn’t let him chase rabbits. They gave me a little muzzle-like device to put on him. Gaining control of his muzzle meant that he would obey because it would hurt to pull away. When I finally took the device off him, he was in sync with me again.

My dog’s actions were reminiscent of our behavior with our holy God. If we see an opportunity to run around, go crazy, and do what we want to do, we often take it. We chase sin and selfish pleasure. The Lord has to pull us back in line because He wants us to walk with Him.

To walk with our holy God means that we must get into harmony with Him. We must go the direction that He wants us to go. As the prophet Amos asked, “Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” (Amos 3:3 NLT). The apostle Peter made clear how that agreement is reached: “But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy” (1 Peter 1:15 NLT).

We can be thankful that God is holy—that He is set apart from everything that is imperfect, tenuous, and unreliable. Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (NIV). God’s holiness never wavers. His promises can always be trusted.

Are you walking with God today? Are you pursuing holiness? Or are you pulling against Him, trying to do things your own way? If so, then it’s time to stop, ask God’s forgiveness, and get in sync with Him once again.

Reflection question: What does pursuing holiness look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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