Set Apart

Back to our first love, nothing between us
Back to Your heart, to the start of it all
Where we found You

Out of the ashes, into the fire
You are refining our hearts in the flames
Of Your presence

Set apart for our God above
Set apart for the One we love
Set apart for Your glory we are Yours, Yours
Set apart for Your glory we are Yours, Yours
Set apart for Your glory we are Yours, Yours

Sacred and holy, Your name is worthy
Jesus, awaken our hearts now to be
Your revival

Everything for You alone
Everything to make You known
Set apart for Your glory we are Yours, Yours

And oh, how great You are
Set apart for Your glory we are Yours, Yours
We are Yours

Worship Central
songwriters: Ben Cantelon, Luke Hellebronth, Nick Herbert, Tim Hughes

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We have been set apart as holy because Jesus Christ did
what God wanted Him to do by sacrificing His body once and for all…this chief Priest (Jesus) made one sacrifice for sins,
and this sacrifice lasts forever.
Hebrews 10:10-12 (GW)

What does it mean to be set apart? I looked at dictionary.com and found these definitions:

• “Set” is to place in some relation to something or someone
• To be “set apart” is defined: to reserve for a particular purpose, or to cause to be noticed

As Christians, we are set into relationship with Jesus Christ through His sacrifice. He has called us to be holy as He is holy (Leviticus 11:44, 1 Peter 1:15-16).

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

That is, to be dedicated to God and not to the things of this world.  If we are “set apart for the One we love,” we are reserved for a particular purpose.  That purpose is to worship and serve Him.

And so, dear brothers and sisters,
I plead with you to give your bodies to God
because of all He has done for you.
Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable.
This is truly the way to worship Him.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world,
but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
Then you will learn to know God’s will for you,
which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2

When we are set apart for God, we will be noticed because our lifestyle looks different.  We think differently, talk differently, and act differently than those around us who don’t have that relationship.  We make God our first love, focusing on our relationship with Him, allowing Him to refine us, and in our lives making Him known to others.

As I listen to this song, I’m singing and praying these words.  As we are coming into the Easter season, I think many of us are searching our own hearts.  God is holy.  We, as His children, are set apart for His glory.  But we are human, and we fail in our own efforts to be worthy of that place in His family.  Sometimes in the crazy busyness of this life we forget our first love (much as the church of Ephesus did, read Revelation 2:1-7.)  The exciting thing about being one of God’s children, is that when we repent, and come back to our first love, God is waiting “to be found” so He can refine our hearts.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9

You can be sure of this: The LORD set apart the godly for Himself.
The LORD will answer when I call to Him.
Psalm 4:3

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set His love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples,
but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that He swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations…

Deuteronomy 7:6-9

These verses thrill me because we are a part of “…to a thousand generations.”  God loves us so much that through the ultimate sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, He set us apart to be His holy people.  What amazing grace!  Now it is our turn to lay down everything for Him alone.  It’s time to allow His Holy Spirit to refine our hearts, and to be set apart for God’s glory.  It’s time to come back to our first love, and give everything to Him, for He is worthy.

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Dear God, thank You for Your great love and sacrifice for us, Your children.  As we worship with this song and Your Word, we rededicate our lives to be holy, set apart for You.  Through Your Holy Spirit, please help us to set aside the things of this world, and allow You to refine us so that we may be witnesses for the sake of Your glory.  In Jesus’ Precious Name, Amen.

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