Be Holy!

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. - 1 Peter 1:13-16

Far too many Christians nowadays use God's grace as an excuse to keep on sinning, and to continue in 'former lusts'. Oh, it's okay, I sinned, I'm only human, God forgives.

This is a dangerous strand of thought.

While it's true that God is gracious, merciful and forgiving, He only forgives when we truly repent!

True repentance is not just mouthing "God forgive me" and then going about our own ways; true repentance calls for us to rend our hearts because of the realization of our own sinful ways, to admit to God that we cannot deal with our sins alone, to cry out to Him for His help, to actively nail our sins to the cross.

So if you think that you can just ask God to forgive you and then not make an effort to live right, think again.

Our God is loving, and He loves us. He is also infinitely holy. Because of His infinite holiness, He cannot tolerate an iota of sin in us. We can say "God will understand", tell a 'white' lie and think it's okay. But even though God understands why we tell a 'white' lie, that doesn't mean He approves!