Set Apart
“Set Apart” for Something Special
1 Peter 1:15-16; 2: 9 – “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’...But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His (God’s) own special people that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…”
“To be holy, consecrated or 'set apart' for special use - Wow! I never could have imagined it! How could I have ever guessed? I never really understood it, until now. Let me explain. Just a few days ago mine was a life of horror. I was used and abused repeatedly. I had never felt so helpless. I had never felt so betrayed. I was slapped, slammed on the table over and over again, pounded with fists, clawed, pulled in different directions, doused repeatedly with water, every torture you could imagine. The pain was unbearable! If only I could cry out, but I couldn’t. My tormentor didn’t seem to care one bit. I was pushed, pressed, twisted and contorted into the most awkward and uncomfortable positions imaginable; then mercilessly placed into a red-hot oven for what seemed an eternity.
I lost consciousness.
What did I do to deserve this? I was a simple lump of clay. Nothing special. No future.
When I awoke, I found myself in a small upper room facing a mirror. What happened? I looked nothing like the lump that I remember! I looked... different...beautiful. I felt different. I even received a new name. I noticed that there were thirteen men in the room. I overheard one of them call me a 'cup' and I was quickly filled with wine. I was then set before their leader. He looks to be a very wise and compassionate man. Wait! I recognize Him! The Carpenter! Then, the greatest moment of my life happened. He took me into His hands and drank from me, then looked at the other twelve men and said, 'Take and drink. This is the cup of My Blood' ”
Sometimes life can seem unbearable. We all have those moments. But God is the Master Craftsman in our lives. He has a plan in mind for us. He sees potential in us that we could never see in ourselves. But to bring out the hidden treasure deep within each one of us, He must allow the storms of life to beat upon us, to toss us around to mold and shape us. Then, when we think we can’t take it anymore, the God of unsearchable wisdom, the God who loves us with unfathomable love ordains that we be placed in the fires of affliction. If we trust Him, through all the trials, and submit to His will, we’ll be transformed into something beautiful. We will truly come to know the meaning of being “set apart”. God will make us holy even as He is holy.
-Christian Sidney
