Leviticus 19

God wants us to conduct ourselves in a such a way that others can see without a doubt that we are followers of Him. Are you living in a way that shows that?

Seth: https://www.instagram.com/thesethashford

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Welcome to the Christians on College Campuses Podcast. My name is Seth from the University of Oklahoma, and today we're looking at Leviticus chapter 19 and what it means to live a holy life in the ordinary places we find ourselves. Before we begin, let us pray. Father, thank you for another opportunity to open your word. Help us to understand what holiness truly looks like. Show us where our lives may not reflect your character, and help us to honor you in the way we treat people around us. Lord, empower us today that your word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our bed. In Jesus' name. Amen. When we hear the word holiness, we may think about avoiding certain sins, following a list of rules, or separating ourselves from anything considered worldly. And while holiness doesn't mean being set apart from the world, Leviticus nineteen shows us that it is about more than what we avoid. Holiness should also be seen in how we live and how we treat people. Leviticus nineteen begins with God telling Moses, speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them, Be holy because I, the Lord your God, is holy. God was not simply telling Israel to follow a random collection of rules. He was calling them to reflect his character because they belong to him. The rest of the chapter shows us what that looks like. God tells them to respect their parents, observe the Sabbath, care for the poor, deal honestly with others, pay workers fairly, refuse hatred, and avoid revenge. Then in verse 18, he gives us a command that many of us are familiar with. And he says, love your neighbor as yourself. I think this chapter helps us understand something important. Holiness is not only displayed during worship, it's displayed in our relationships. It is possible to look holy in a church service or at a campus ministry gathering. We can raise our hands during worship, know the right answers during Bible study and post Bible verses online. But what happens when the gathering ends? How do we treat our roommate when they frustrate us? How do we speak about someone who is not in the room? Are we honest in our schoolwork? Do we only show kindness to people who can do something for us? Our faith is not only revealed by how we worship God when other Christians are watching. It is revealed by how we treat people throughout the rest of the week. You can have the big moments, the big shiny moments on a stage, and for maybe for an actor, they are they perform extremely well whenever you see them. But they don't show up on the stage without being prepared in all the moments outside of the spotlight. One of the instructions in this chapter was for Israel not to harvest every part of their fields. They were supposed to leave something behind for the poor and the foreigner. God was teaching them not to use everything they had only for themselves. His provision for them was supposed to become provision for someone else. Most of us probably do not have fields to harvest, but we have something to give. It might be our time, our attention, our encouragement. Maybe it's money or willingness to notice someone whom everyone else overlooks. Holiness means that we do not move through life only asking, what can I get from this? We also ask, how can I use what God has given me to serve someone else? Leviticus 19 also tells God's people not to hate one another in their hearts or seek revenge. That matters because sometimes we think we are doing well as long as we have not acted on our own anger. But we can avoid openly attacking someone while still holding bitterness against them. We may not confront them, but we we replay what happened. We talk about them behind their back, we quietly hope that things go wrong for them. God is not only concerned with actions people can see, He is also concerned with what we allow to remain in our hearts. Loving our neighbor does not mean approving of everything someone does or acting as though they never hurt us. It means refusing to let hatred and revenge control the way we respond. When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandments, he included this same command to love your neighbor as yourself. That means loving people is not an optional addition to our faith. It is one of the clearest ways our faith can become visible. We do not become holy enough to earn God's love. We pursue holiness because he has already loved us and made us his own through Jesus. Jesus perfectly reflected the character of God. He noticed overlooked people, he showed compassion to the hurting, spoke truth, and loved people who could give him nothing in return. As followers of Jesus, we are called to reflect that same character wherever God has placed us. For college students, that means holiness should become visible in the classroom, in your dorm, in your apartment, the workplace, the gym, and everywhere in between. It should affect how we study, how we date, how we speak, how we handle conflict, and how we treat people who are different from us. So here's the question I want to leave with you. If someone watched the way you treated people throughout the week, would they see something different because you belong to Jesus? Holiness is not simply staying away from the bad things, it is allowing God to transform us so that our lives show people what He is like. You do not have to wait for a worship night, a mission trip, a ministry opportunity to live out your faith. You can reflect Jesus in the hallway, in the classroom, walking around on campus, in your apartment, in every ordinary conversation. God says, Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. So this week, ask God to show you one relationship or ordinary area in your life where you can reflect His character more clearly. Let us pray. Father, holy God, thank you for loving us, making us your own through Jesus. Help us to understand that holiness is not only about what we avoid, but also how we live and love others. Show us where we have been dishonest, selfish, bitter, or unwilling to serve. Help us to reflect your character in our classrooms, in our relationships, workplaces, and campuses. May people see something different in the way that we lived, not so that we receive the credit, but so that y our lives point them toward you. In Jesus' name. Amen.