Set Apart For God

But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations. Leviticus 20:24 (NIV)

Set Apart for God… Sometimes, I feel insecure and want to be like other women I know. It might be their hairstyle, clothes, jewelry, or even how great their makeup looks.

It causes me to buy more than one foundation because I want my skin to look like the women in social media ads. OR buy another such something to allow me to curl my hair so that I can have those cute beach waves like so many other women I see. Even when I know it’s silly, I still do.

My friend Stacey looks cute in the little sweaters she wears in the winter when we meet for coffee. When I leave, I think about how I need cardigans like hers so that I can look better than the cozy sweatshirt I schlepped on because I wanted to be warm. I forget how much I love my cozy sweatshirts and why I wear them sometimes.

I love my friend Linda’s jewelry and any outfit she wears anytime we get together. She knows just the right thing to wear for any occasion. I worry about how I show up sometimes and don’t seem to get the memo about how I should dress. I’m underdressed or overdressed, but I’m thankful I get it right occasionally.

I wonder if anyone ever looks at me and wants to be like me and thinks they never would. Then, the Lord reminds me of the woman who shared how she wished she could pray like I do and another woman who wanted advice about how to pray while raising her small children.

I remember having a sweet conversation with them both to encourage them in their prayer lives. It allowed me to guide them in their walk with the Lord. Both opportunities bring me so much joy; they really do.

This has made me realize that it’s not Linda’s jewelry that I admire so much but how I know she would go out of her way to be there for me if I needed her. It’s not Stacey’s sweaters that I love so much but how she has pursued me as a friend, which gives us so many opportunities to meet and talk about scripture.

Then it makes me think about one of my dearest friends, Mendy, and how good she is to me and good for me as a sister in Christ. Mendy is so caring, kind, and selfless, which makes me want to be like Christ, who lives in her.

Lee Ann is another wonderful friend who prays with me weekly for the church we both attend and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for which we both volunteer. We all want a faithful friend we can call and pray with; I would have to include both of my sisters, Lisa and Saroya, as prayer partners, too. I’m grateful for every single one of these women and many others I know because they know and love the Lord.

God has been using this lately to remind me that my desire should be for Him. It should be set apart for God and His Kingdom, His glory, and nothing else. At the end of the day, nothing matters in my life more than Him. This is His desire for me and is still my heart’s desire.

This is my prayer for you, too: that your greatest desire is for Him. I pray that God will break your heart for what breaks His. I pray that you and I will stop letting the little foxes into our lives that keep us from loving Him well, putting Him first, and leaning on Him before anyone else. He wants to be our first love but will never force Himself on any one of us. That is how much He loves us. He gives us the choice and opportunity to come to Him. Set us apart for You, God.

Connection

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Additional Encouragement

Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. Song of Songs 2:15 (NIV) – Read the Full Chapter @BibleGateway

You can be sure of this: The Lord set apart the godly for Himself. The Lord will answer when I call to him. Psalm 4:3 (NLT) – Read the Full Chapter @BibleGateway

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