Lent.

And what God wants is for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time. (Hebrews 10:10)

For me, the season of Lent is a time to reflect on my life, on the love of God. This season finds me focused on “Whose I am; Who I am; What am I called to be/do?”  Keeping that in mind and reading over today's scripture, I became unusually focused on one word…..  Holy.  No matter how many times I walked away, that word haunted me.  

So, what does holy mean to you?  I took a poll among my trusted friends and family.  So many answers!  Here are just a few….  forgiven, righteous, whole (completely forgiven), without sin, utmost, sacred, grace-filled, blessed, humbled, dedicated or consecrated to God and finally, set apart.  Try reading through today’s scripture and inserting any one of these understandings. This passage becomes more thought provoking.

The Hebrew word for holy, “hagios”, means to be “set apart” for a specific purpose.  This might be my final choice because it helps me understand that I am set apart for my specific purpose, just as you are. Our callings are not identical. The only way we can live into our purpose is by the grace of God, who sacrificed His son, the only perfect sacrifice.  This is not about our perceived sacrifices, but the one, single sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Savior now and for all time.

Today, ponder what holy means to you in your walk.

Holy Lord, remind me today that I am set apart for my specific purpose, and that I can live into that purpose only by the power of your grace.  In Christ’s name I pray, amen.

This devotional was written by Lisa Blackwood and read by Julie George.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.