“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4).

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified.”

Wow. I love it when God’s will is crystal clear. We don’t have to second guess it or wonder about it. You don’t have to pray about it. This is about as clear as you can get.

This is God’s will…that you should be sanctified!

But this is not God’s will for everyone. This is God’s will for Christians. This assumes that we have received and accepted God’s gift of eternal life through his Son, Jesus Christ.

What does sanctification mean? Sanctification literally means to become holy. It is referring to the work of the Holy Spirit to make Christians more like Christ. Unlike justification, sanctification is partnership between the Holy Spirit and the believer.

Let me explain:

• Justification – the process by which God makes sinners into sons and daughters
  • This is all God’s work
  • We can’t earn it. We don’t deserve it. It’s all grace, all mercy, all God
• Sanctification – the process by which disciples become more like Jesus
  • This is partnership between the Holy Spirit and the disciple
  • When the Holy Spirit guides, it’s up to the disciples to obey
  • This takes huge effort on the part of the disciple because the flesh will wage war against the Holy Spirit to make us more like Jesus

It is God’s will that disciples be sanctified. It is God’s will that disciples become more like Jesus.

Before we end, I want you to notice that the first thing that Paul mentions after talking about sanctification is how disciples practice sex and control their bodies. The starting place for sanctification is how disciples manage and steward their bodies as followers of Jesus Christ.

Use your bodies, not for your own pleasure, but for the glory and honor of Christ and his kingdom.

Christians, it is God’s will that you become more like Jesus today. And, tomorrow…you should be more like Jesus tomorrow than you were today. And the day after that, and the day after that, until Christ returns or until you die. It is God’s will that you work on your sanctification.

Let’s get to work!

“The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple of the LORD…They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD. They were to do the same in the evening” (1 Chronicles 23:28, 30-31).

Interesting.

Came across this passage in my daily reading of the Bible. The Levites were a tribe of Israel who were tasked with serving at the Temple in Jerusalem. One of their main jobs was to stand in the Temple to thank and praise God every morning and evening. Their job was to thank and praise God on behalf of the people of Israel. It didn’t matter whether they felt like it or not. This was their job.

But what if they didn’t feel like they had a reason for praising God? What if they were having a really bad day? How were they supposed to praise and thank God when the last thing they were feeling was thankful?

While these questions may seem relevant, they are wrong because they are starting with a false assumption.

Let me explain.

For us moderns, we start with our personal experience, feelings, and thoughts as the basis of all knowledge and truth. So what can be true for you may not be true for me because our personal experiences, feelings, and thoughts may be different.

But, personal experience, feelings, and thoughts are not to be the basis of knowledge and truth for the people of God. For the people of faith, the basis for all knowledge and truth is the reality of salvation. Salvation through Jesus Christ has already happened. Salvation is the basis and the foundation of our reality.

That’s why the most important truth of the Ten Commandments is not the commandments themselves but the phrase, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Deuteronomy 5:6), which precedes the Ten Commandments. It is because of what God had already done for Israel that, “You shall have no other gods before me…You shall not make for yourself an image…You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God…etc.”

Since God’s salvation is the basis of reality for the people of faith, thanksgiving and praise is ALWAYS appropriate because salvation is something that God has already done for his people. That the people of faith give God thanks and praise him has nothing to do with our personal experiences, feelings, or thoughts. We give thanks and praise because of all that God has already done for us in Jesus Christ.

Just as praise and thanksgiving were the job of the Levites, this is our calling as recipients of God’s grace and love through the cross of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

“Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

Do not be afraid…

Do not be discouraged…

Easy for you to say.

Most of the time I am neither afraid nor discouraged. Most of the time I am doing just fine. But there are times when I do fear and am discouraged. And when I am afraid or discouraged, someone telling me not to be afraid or discouraged doesn’t help. In fact, it’s annoying. I am already experiencing fear and discouragement. How am I supposed to change what I’m already feeling?

Great question.

There are two truths about the verse of the day.

First, peace is not the absence of difficulties, hardship, or fear. Peace is the presence of God. God’s presence changes everything. God doesn’t change what we have to go through in life as Christians, but the presence of God changes how we deal with life. The presence of God is a game changer. God’s presence reminds us that there is nothing in the created universe that can separate us from his love and purpose. The worst that this world could do is death. But because of what God has done through Jesus Christ, death is no longer the end. Death is the gateway to eternity with God.

Second, whether you stay in fear and discouragement or you experience peace has everything to do with perspective. If you’re focused on your problems and the world around you, you will have reasons to fear and be discouraged. But, once you take your focus off of the problems and turn to God, you will experience peace. You are never alone. God is always with you. Through all situations God has a plan and a purpose for you. God loves you. You are never alone. God is God Emanuel – God with us.

Don’t miss – Living in peace and faith is not about how you’re feeling. It’s about an ongoing decision to choosing God and turning our gaze upon God. It’s choosing to focus on God. Once we focus on God, we will have peace.

No matter what you are facing today, you are not facing today alone. God is with you. Turn your eyes upon Jesus.