1 Thessalonians 4:7 (ESV) -- For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.

Have you ever been in a situation where people were selecting teams and you were waiting for your name to be called? This happens on the playground or in gyms all the time. The dividing up of people into teams creates a situation where individuals are waiting for the captain of a team to call their name.

This idea of calling is prominent in the Scriptures. Our passage today shows Paul reminding the church about their particular calling. He writes, “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.” What does that mean? It means when the Lord called us to Himself, and made us a part of His team, He called us to live holy. We are not called by Jesus to live in the impurity of our flesh. That may have marked our old lives, but not anymore. If we belong to Jesus, and are a part of His team, we must pursue holiness. 

This calling is a privilege. None of us deserve to be on His team. We are rebels and sinners by nature, deserving of condemnation for our sins. But He calls us. He put us on His team. This means our sins are forgiven, we have an eternal inheritance, and He walks with us each day. But this calling comes with expectations. We shouldn’t continue in impurity. We must jettison our rebellious ways. Our calling is to holiness. 

Holiness is about walking in obedience to the Lord. We are to consecrate ourselves to follow Him. We die to self and embrace His commands. This is our calling. We should live our lives in a manner worthy of this calling. If Jesus calls us to His team, then we want to do our best to honor Him. The captain of our soul delights to call us His own. Let’s live like we delight to call Him our own.

Reflection & Journal:
- What does it mean to say we are “called”?  
- What are impurities that Christians should turn from? What does it mean to live holy? 
- How should you respond today in light of this passage? 

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