Set apart to set the Lord apart

In Leviticus 22 the Lord says over and over, "I am the Lord who sanctifies you". That word "sanctify" means "set apart". By this the Lord is saying, "I am the Lord who sets you apart". But from what does the Lord set His people apart? Certainly we could answer that question by saying the Lord sets us apart from sin. He no longers wants us to be slaves to sin, to live according to its dictates, so He acts in Jesus Christ to set us apart from the sin. He also sets us apart as a people to be recipients of His blessing and of a relationship like none other. But I think this passage would indicate another way we are set apart. We are set apart by how we set the Lord apart. We are set apart by how we respond to the Lord, by lives that demonstrate that we think the Lord is like none other. As Moses talked about the sacrifices the people were to bring the Lord, he emphasized that the animals would need to be perfect. The lame and the blind and the deformed were not acceptable. To offer the Lord something other than our best is to suggest that we don't think very much of our Lord. If a King was to visit our land and we had an opportunity to honor him with a gift, what kind of gift would we bring. If we brought a "white elephant" type of gift we would be saying that this King doesn't mean that much to us. But if we brought something of great value, we would be saying to the King and to all in attendance that we thought much of this King. The same is true with our Lord. If we offer Him things that cost us nothing; if we offer Him our leftovers, or things that are damaged, we are saying by these offerings that the Lord does not mean very much to us. We are saying that He is not really something special or "set apart" from everything else. If you are a recipient of God's sanctifying grace; if you know His incredible mercy in bringing you up from the pit; if these truths have pierced your heart, it is likely that you have grown to appreciate the "special" nature of the Lord Christ. It is also likely that that experience of grace and mercy will move your heart to enthrone the Lord as your King, and you will want to show the world that your God is like none other; that your God is worthy only of the best we humans have to offer. Are you doing that? Are the gifts you bring to the Lord each day showing the world that you have "set apart" the Lord above all others? Is His name being honored by your life which shows He has been given a place offered to no other?