Hi everyone it's Leslie Ludi host of the Set-A-Part-Grel podcast biblical encouragement for women of all ages.

Today we're going to be talking about the difference between set apartness and legalism.

Probably you've seen one of those holier than now type of Christians who walks

around in spiritual pride and takes a lot of pleasure in being better than everyone else.

Or maybe you've seen Christians who are

ensnared to stiff rules and legalism. Their outward life may appear wholly

and pious, but you can tell that they're miserable and unhappy. I don't know about you but

whenever I see either of those two extremes it makes me want to run in the other

direction. In fact there was actually a time in my life when I became convinced that any kind of

standard for holiness or purity or just a righteous way of living was legalism and that it was actually better to be lax

and compromised in my Christian life than to end up like one of those legalistic

miserable or holier than thou believers.

I remember watching a young woman who actually later became my sister-in-law

when I was in my late teens and watching her life really made an impact upon me in this area

because I recognized that she had very high standards for her life. She wasn't

out there pursuing guys and flirting with guys. She dressed in a

beautifully modest way. She just lived a very holy Christ-centered life and yet she did so with the most beautiful radiance and

happiness and joy that I had ever seen. Her name was Chrissy and she was Eric's sister and we would be rooming together

maybe on missions trips or family trips and I would watch her when she would first

wake up in the morning and she she was so joyful, she would immediately

have a huge smile on her face and say,

good morning, Lord, and grab her Bible off her nightstand,

...