He Will Do It

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NIV

Father, thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you that you sanctify us through and through. Keep us blameless until your coming. Praise be to you because you are faithful and will do it!

Perfecting Your Holiness, Reverence is the Bottom Line

Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

2 Corinthians 7:1 NIV

Most importantly, in Christ we are holy and righteous. At the same time, we are being made holy and righteous in Christ. Our faith is being perfected. This does not happen without our participation. We choose what encounters not just our bodies, but our lives and our spirit as well.

We make choices about what we allow to ferment in our hearts and minds. Many images and ideas get put before us everyday. But, we must choose what we will dwell on and interact with. 

The bottom line is reverence for God. If I have reverence for God, there is things I won't do and things I will do. I won't use someone for my own person gain or pleasure, but I will serve others in the Name of Jesus Christ. For me reverence for God is a mixture of fear and respect, humility and gratefulness. 

God Stands You Firm

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NIV

One of the many things that God does that assures me of my faith is that behind everything I do, he is there leading me. Yes, I do my best to stand firm, to love as he loved me, and to be holy as he is holy. Sometimes I'm a bit like the t-shirt I saw a few months ago that read, "I'm a Christian, but I cuss a little." But, if I wasn't a Christian, if his Spirit wasn't in my heart, I wouldn't care. Just that I am convicted shows that the Spirit of God is living in me.

Now, it is God who makes us stand firm. Not our own passion, his faithfulness. We are holy in Christ. We are declared righteous by the work of Christ on the cross. The Spirit of God anoints us, sets his seal of ownership on us, puts his Spirit in our hearts which gives us that assurance guaranteeing what is to come.

God is faithful. He will make you stand firm.

He Will Keep You

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:7-9 NIV

The amazing truth that God himself will keep us firm to the end encourages us to keep pressing on in Christ. 

In one way it's like the Spirit is our personal spiritual trainer. He uses others to exhort us to know Christ more. He uses our consciences to direct us from harm and to the truth. In his Word we are reminded of the hope we have that motivates us to love, forgive and serve even in the darkest hours. 

In another way, God keeping us firm so that we will be blameless on the day of out Lord Jesus Christ, is the bedrock of our Christian lives. His blood, shed for us, keeps our consciences clear as we remember his death and resurrection. We are his workmanship. Get it? He decided before the foundation of the world to die for us, to save us, to make us his children. He will keep us strong to the end. 

The Battle Was Won on the Cross

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Romans 7:24-25 NIV

Tomorrow we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every day a battle is waged within us. But every battle has been won on the cross. Today we remember that Christ paid the price so that we might live by faith in him. 

I think we all feel the battle that Paul shares with us in Romans chapter 7. We wish that we could claim the victory and never have to fight the battle again, but, that is just not the way it is. We are called to fight the good fight and remember, every day, that Jesus rescues us from this body of death. Everyday we are reminded of his grace and his mercy, his forgiveness and faithfulness. 

Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Be Built Up

“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 

Acts 20:32 NIV

I have connections to a couple of churches that are in the process of finding new lead pastors. It is interesting and very telling to see how the leadership of each church goes about the process. One church rushed and one has taken their time to communicate with the body and seek God's will. 

One church took the time to communicate with the body asked everyone what they were looking for in a head pastor. They also gave them ample time and provided many opportunities to share their answers and concerns. 

In Acts 20:32 we see Paul's heart as a shepherd. He committed them to God and the word of his grace. Why? Because Paul's desire was to see the disciples built up, enjoying the inheritance of being a child of God and knowing the solace of sanctification. That's a shepherd. 

We Seek, He Sanctifies.

For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

John 17:19 NIV

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Ephesians 5:25 NIV

As I was reading this morning in John I thought about how I, as a husband and a father, need to continue to seek God in order to sanctify my marriage and my family. I don't mean this as a guilt bomb, but, as a word of exhortation, an encouragement to push on, to go forward, to not give up.

I may not know exactly how, but the Holy Spirit will work. My role is to seek God. Every time I pray, alone, with my wife, with my children, the Spirit works to sanctify us. Every time I read the Bible and seek to do what it says the Spirit sanctifies me and my family. Every time I try to act in faith, to do something in Jesus' name, the Spirit works to sanctify me. 

Our work is to believe in and seek Christ. His work is to send the Holy Spirit to sanctify us through and through.

Father, I pray that as we go out into the world today that you would protect us and use us to glorify your Name. Grant us at least one redemptive moment, action or conversation. Praise be to you in us today!

DO YOU MANAGE YOUR SIN?

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 

2 Peter 1:5-7 (NIV)

I must admit that I have been struggling with these verses. Mainly because I have been wrestling with my understanding of sin management in my own life. You see, if I view these verses as a pathway to manage my sin I will fall into the sanctification/holiness by works trap. But, if I look at them as a pathway to participation in the divine nature then it's more about accepting the holiness God has given me in Christ (see I Corinthians 1:30). 

When Peter says to add to my faith goodness he is not telling me to remember to be good enough. He is just reminding me of the direction I need to point myself. Somehow an ungodly saying got into my head last week. Finally, yesterday I thought to think of a godly saying. So, I started saying to myself, "The holier, the happier". I know it's hokey. I wasn't trying to be a theologian. I was just trying to win the battle for my mind. I was trying to have a good thought, a virtuous thought aim my thinking, not an ungodly one. You know, it has helped me to redirect my thinking. Just a little effort to add goodness to my faith. 

Father, help us to add goodness to our faith. Thank you that you are our holiness (I Corinthians 1:30)! Praise be to you in us today!

YES YOU ARE

"And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."

Hebrews 10:10, 12-13

Sometimes I don't feel too holy. I don't think I ever feel perfect. But, in God's eyes, seen through the holiness and perfection of Christ, I am being made holy! 

Isn't that the good news, the gospel? We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all! That is good news! Right now, in God's eyes, if you are in Christ, you are holy! 

And we are being made holy. You see, part of salvation is the end of it all. We are saved and we are going to heaven. The other part is in the here and now, the "being made holy" part which is often called sanctification. Salvation is not just from the overall effect of sin which is death, but, salvation is also from the rule of sin in the here and now, in our daily lives. We are being made holy. 

Christ's sacrifice is complete and our salvation is a complete salvation. The trials we go through are vehicles that the Holy Spirit uses to mold us into the image of Jesus Christ. That is the plan. Don't be surprised, God's not. 

Are you holy? Yes, you are. You are holy and you are being made holy.

Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on us. Make us, mold us, and use us. Praise be to you in us today!

STAY IN THE CHAIR! / Titus 2::13-14

"While we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that his very own, eager to do what is good." Titus 2:13-14

While we are waiting we don't remain stagnant. We are redeemed and purified. Our salvation isn't just about getting to heaven someday in the by-and-by when we die. No, now, while we wait, we redeem the time and seek to live pure and holy lives here on earth. 

When I was a kid I must have been the worst case scenario for every barber my parents took me too. I am very ticklish and I would squirm and wiggle every time the barber would touch my neck. It was torture for us both. Finally, my dad start cutting my hair and I just ended up with a butch - I believe now called the buzz cut. 

Believe it or not I am going to relate the wonderful process of God redeeming and purifying us (sanctifying us, if I may) to that of getting a haircut   The barber cuts our hair, but, we must remain in the chair and let him do his work. In a similar way, the Holy Spirit redeems us and purifies us, but, we must remain in Christ. Yes, sometimes we will be in some uncomfortable situations and we may squirm around a bit, but, we must remain in Christ and trust him to do his work within us. 

Lord, help us to remain in you as you work within us, redeeming and purifying us everyday. We wait for your blessed return. Praise be to you in us today!

TODAY IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FAITH: II Thessalonians 2:13

"But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth." II Thessalonians 2:13

Why be thankful? Because does the saving work, we believe. Sometimes we forget the beautiful simplicity of God's work in our lives. 

Paul reminds us that despite the whole world that will refuse to believe the truth, we are part of the chosen who do believe. That is the reason to be thankful. Thankful because the Spirit is working in us. The sanctifying work of the Spirit is an ongoing process. God is working now. Salvation is not just a ticket to get into heaven when we die. Salvation is the continuous work of the Spirit in our lives shaping us into the image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

What is our job? Our job is to believe and act accordingly. Because we believe God is working in our lives we seek him, daily. That is why you are reading this, today. That is why we read the Bible on a daily basis. That is why we go to church. 

Now, here is a great question: What opportunity will become evident today for me to act in faith? Think about that today as you go about your daily business. What opportunities to act in faith will God provide? Be ready.

Father, open our eyes to see your work in our lives. Help us to live by faith. Praise be to you in us today!

GOD HIMSELF WILL: I Thessalonians 5:23-24

I once worked for a Mimi's Cafe as a food server then a manager. We encountered a situation once that even our very competent  general manager was concerned about. The owner stopped by, told us what to do and how Mimi's dealt with those things and that was that. The owner himself. At the end of I Thessalonians Paul tells us that "God himself" will do the work he needs to do in our lives. 

"May God himself, the God of peace,  sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it." I Thessalonians 5:23-24

First and foremost, it is God himself who is sanctifying us. It is God himself who is keeping us blameless until Christ comes again.

Remember, God called you. In your sins. Since he sent his Son to die for you, he will keep you. In a way, it is sort of like an investment. If you saved and sacrificed to buy a home for your family you wouldn't just abandon it. God, purchased you with the blood of his Son. He is faithful and he will keep us. 

Father, help us to rest is your faithfulness and the truth that your are faithful! Praise be to you in us today!

CONTROL YOURSELF IN HOLINESS AND HONOR: I Thessalonians 4:3-4

We live in a world that has a very specific purpose. That purpose is to lead us away from God. So, I find it odd that so much of the world's beliefs about self-control are held by Christians. The world tells us that we can not control our desires and that love is something you fall into.  The world tells us that we are animals and we can't control those deep animalistic desires. That's not what the Bible teaches.

"It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable." I Thessalonians 4:3-4 

God's will should be the goal of all we do. If God wills it, then shouldn't it pretty much be a done deal? Yes, he is faithful to complete the work he began in you. His will is that we be sanctified. That we purify ourselves from this world. The world pushes sexual immorality. We avoid it. 

The world tells us that we must give into urges  but God tells us learn to control your body. You learn to control your body by seeking to be holy and honorable. Holiness has to do with being set apart. Sometimes we just need to be apart from what ever it is that seeks to control you. That is why is Proverbs it says to run. Don't think about it, run. 

The other side of sanctification is the do part. Do honorable deeds. Treat people honorably. That is why service  is so important. Thinking about others requires you to die to yourself. Service is about others, not yourself. Service is about being God's hands and feet, reaching out to others in Jesus' Name and letting God love through you. 

It is God's will that you learn to control your own body. Decide what to do with yourself. Choose to serve. 

Father, help us to avoid sexual immorality, teach us to control our own bodies in holiness and honor. Praise be to you in us today!