THE LIFE THAT PLEASES GOD

Reading: I Thes 4:3-12

 

Have you ever wondered, perhaps in frustration, “What is God’s will for my life?” “If I just knew what He wanted me to do, I would do it.” Really? Are you (am I) sure? Are you (am I) ready for the answer?

Read on only if you answered “Yes” to these last questions. This journey is not for the faint-hearted, so hold tight, take a deep breath – off we go!

 

I Thes 4: 3 begins: “For this is the will of God…” Could it be stated any plainer?  OK, now for the answer (drum roll, please, and have pen and paper handy), verse 3 continues: “your sanctification.” What?! Wait – that’s it, one word is all I get to base life’s decisions on?!!!

 

So, if sanctification is the word, maybe we ought to delve into it and see what God might want for us.  Sanctify: “to set apart for a particular holy or sacred use intended by its designer.” “A person then is sanctified when he or she lives according to God’s design and purpose”* Verse 3 of I Thes adds to the definition. “…that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.”

 

Why is sexual sin the only one mentioned here in reference to sanctification? Maybe it’s as Paul says in I Cor 6:18: “Avoid sexual looseness like the plague! Every other sin that a man [or woman] commits is done outside his [her] own body, but this is an offense against his [her] own body (J B Phillips).” So it hits at the core of who we are as men and women, and, if we are able to live victoriously in this area of our lives, we will have come closer to living a sanctified life – in the will of God – in other areas. 

 

As in today’s reading, God specifically tells us in many other places in His Word what His will is for us. Often it’s not so much a matter of knowing but doing what we know His will to be. Then, to ask ourselves, in matters where He does not specify, “Is this pleasing to God?” might just lead us to the answer, “What’s God’s will for my life?”

 

Thank you, Lord that you show me in many ways your will for my life. Help me to seek to do your will and lead a life that is pleasing to you. Amen.

 

 

 

*from Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology – online

I’m Made Holy! – How Can This Be?

Scripture Reading:  2 Thes 2:13-16

 

A group of us women have been studying The Fruit of the Spirit from Gal 5:22-23 for many weeks. We began noticing that, while each of the facets of the fruit (eg Love, Joy, Peace, etc) was something produced by the Holy Spirit in a Christ-follower, there were also commands or directives from other verses to the Christian to be loving, joyful, peaceable, etc.  For instance, take the facet of Love.  In 1 John 4:9, we see God’s love is manifested in us; and in Matt 22:37, 39, we read, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.”  One verse shows it is God’s love in us, while the other is a command to love.

 

This was the first in a series of times God brought this concept to me:  If I am to grow to maturity, I need to recognize that both the Holy Spirit and I have parts to play in the process.  My next experience with these ideas came when I was preparing a talk on “Hope.”  It provided a name for how I am to live out my sanctification toward maturity.  In his book The Transforming Power of the Gospel (NavPress, 2012), Jerry Bridges coined the term “Dependent Responsibility” to describe the joint nature of my becoming holy.

 

·         The responsibility part of this term: work out daily the life you have been given in Christ (see Phil 2:12).

·         The dependency part: depend on the Holy Spirit for success (see Phil 2:13). He is the primary agent of our sanctification, without Him, we cannot experience the life and power of Christ in us.

 

In our reading today (which is my latest encounter with this idea, we note that in verse 13, both God’s part and our part in the process of our sanctification are mentioned.  The Phillips Translation of the New Testament says it this way, “He has chosen you from the beginning to save you, to make you holy by the work of His Spirit and your own belief in the truth.”

 

It seems to me as if God has been using a microphone to get my attention about something specific regarding being holy.  What is it? I’m not exactly sure, but I do know it has lead me to focus on it more these days, and I continue to ask, “Lord, what do you want me to know?”

 

This is what I’ve learned so far by listening to His answer:

·         The Holy Spirit’s role in my sanctification (maturation process) is to provide power, means, and desire in me to be more like Jesus.

·         My role is to trust God to sanctify me, present my body to Him, and yield to the Spirit – in other words, depend on Him.

·         My role also is to choose to do what’s right (obedience) – in other words, take responsibility for what I think, do, and say.

 

Holy Spirit, as You continue to bring thoughts of sanctification, maturity, holiness, please give me Your wisdom in what further understanding I need in this area of my life. Amen.

The Greatest Change Agent Ever

1 Corinthians 15:50-57

Change is not easy for most people. It can take us out of our comfort zone. Even the smallest change can be disruptive. As a result, we resist change because the status quo is safer. We know what to expect. We have more control of our world when everything remains the same.

So what does it take for us to change? To get some idea of how to answer this question, here are the first three steps of Celebrate Recovery, a Christian twelve step program that specializes in change.

1. We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable. 

2. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.

 These steps tell us that in order to change requires reaching the bottom. When that happens you realize that your life is out of control; that you are powerless; that you can’t change on your own. Finally, you understand that you need the greatest change agent ever, Jesus Christ.

 Eugene Peterson in The Message, paraphrased that change agent in Matthew 5:3-4.

³ “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

⁴ “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

This is from the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus is speaking to common people; not to folks in a twelve step program. He’s telling them that in order to change, you have to hit bottom in some sense. Otherwise, there is no need for Jesus.

Today’s passage is about when Jesus brings us home with our resurrected body. From then on, there is no sting from death nor struggle with sin. Only the joy of living life as it was meant to be; living in the presence of our Creator.

 Jesus is the greatest change agent ever. He specializes in taking us home. Thanks be to God.