SCRIPTURE - 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
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. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
OBSERVATION
Here Paul writes a prayer to the church in Thessalonica. He asks that God would continue to "sanctify" them, or help them to live more pure and holy lives. He then again prays that they would be blameless in God's sight when Jesus returns to call all who follow Him home. Paul encourages them to believe that it is possible because God called them. He's faithful and trustworthy. He has the power to help them live holy lives.
APPLICATION
The call to live without sin can be uncomfortable for many reasons. We don't want someone telling us what to do or how to live our lives. (God's grace covers it all anyways, right?) Maybe we even don't want to put down our sin because we have grown to either like it or depend on it.Â
Here's the truth: sin is anything that keeps you from experiencing life the way God intended you to experience it, because it separates you from Him. God isn't trying to keep track of your "rights" and "wrongs". He wants you to live as Jesus did: hearing God's voice, knowing His love, and sharing it with others. When you submit your life to God, you're positioning yourself to be molded and shaped into Jesus' image: hearing God's voice, knowing His love, and sharing it with others.
PRAYER
Do you need God's help living a more righteous life? Do you believe that He can do that for you? Paul says that God, who calls us, is faithful, and that He will do it. Before you begin the work in your own heart to get rid of sin, you need to believe that God's way is the best for your sake and that He wants to, and can, help you be truly blameless.
"God, help me to believe in my heart that you want me to live a full and abundant life. Help me to trust that following your ways protects me from the evils of this world that want to tear me down. I believe that you can make me pure and blameless before you. Help me to follow and trust your voice. In Jesus' name, amen."
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Lord, why am I so selfish sometimes, knowing not to sin but I do. Your wisdom, not mans. Your standards, not mine.
Lord help me to be still and know You, know Your voice. Even in the midst of all the movement and noise around me- may I sit and listen to what You are trying to teach me and not be swayed to the right or to the left but be fully tuned in to Your word and it’s truth. Your plans are to prosper and not harm me to give me hope and a future! Reveal any area of my heart that has any doubt or unbelief so it can be removed and replaced with complete trust and faith in You and Your promises today. I love You Jesus!