......
Your sanctification. (gasp)
That's it? Sorta. In a nutshell.
For this is the will of God, your sanctification...
1 Thessalonians 4:3
That pretty much sums it up.
You see, our sanctification means making us more like Jesus, ie: holy, which means more glory for God. Because ultimately God is all about His glory. And before you go off huffing and puffing because you think God is so self centered that all He cares about is His glory (at your expense)...do realize, it is precisely because of His glory that we have salvation. You see, it glorified God to LOVE the world (His people) by sending His ONLY Son (at HIS expense) to be sin for us (on our behalf) so that we wouldn't have to suffer the consequences of our own sin which is eternal separation from the One who satisfies wholly and perfectly (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:21). I mean, that is what Hell is. The complete absence of God. Being completely given over to your sin. That you wanted more than God. Sin that never satisfies. Sin that devours. From the inside out and the outside in. I don't really understand exactly what hell is or how to explain it (another study for another time) but we're talking about sanctification here and if you're a believer then hell is out and sanctification is in. Phew.
So God's will for me is to be sanctified. AKA to be made more like Jesus. To be set apart. To be holy.
Yes. Yes. Yes. And yes.
So why is this so hard? Because HOW God sanctifies is, well, hard sometimes. Actually, pretty much all the time. You see, I don't think God cares so much about WHAT we do with our lives but HOW we do it. So, college student with the undecided major. Don't freak out. Because you can be a student who glorifies God in your studies and one who is sanctified by it. So, wannabe missionary with no 'country laid upon your heart', don't freak out. There's lost people, unreached peoples, all over the world (but mostly in the 10/40 window). Pick a location on God's green earth (that area might not be so green though) that looks appealing to you with an unreached people group within it and GO. I venture to say that God cares less about WHERE you go and more about HOW you go and WHAT your conduct is among them and the CLARITY of the message you are bringing them. So what is God's will for your life? Love God and do what you want (Augustine said that right?)! Glorify God in how you live, Christian, whether that is a banker or a stay-at-home mom or a professional athlete or a missionary or a church planter or a janitor or a cashier at McDonalds. See to it that whatever role you're in, you are living in a manner worthy of the gospel (Philippians 1:27)!! Does God care whether you go to school to be a nurse vs a social worker? He cares but probably not in the way you think. He's (probably) not going to give you a flashing light in the sky that leads you one way over the other. He probably wants you to do what you'll enjoy most and He definitely wants you to use that for His glory. And you will definitely be sanctified in it. Right. Back to sanctification. It's hard to talk about sanctification without switching over to God's glory because our sanctification glorifies God. They go hand in hand.
So, the hard part. Sanctification comes in many forms. Forms that I'm not too particularly fond of at the moment. Honestly, I'm a little mad at God right now that things have to be the way they are. But He's a big God and He can handle my little anger. (And by His great grace my heart will be softened.) Why do I have to be sanctified this way? Why does Brock have to be sanctified through Leukemia that keeps him an hour and a half away from his wife and kids among a bajillion of other sanctifying/hard things? Why does my friend have to be sanctified through a miscarriage? Why does Amy have to be sanctified through breast cancer and a double mastectomy? Why does my friend have to be sanctified through fertility problems? Why? Why does your will for my life have to be X, Y, Z? Why do I have to wait, even longer, for a third child? A friend of mine last summer put it this way, "I feel as if God hurt my feelings." Yeah. I totally get that now. My feelings have been hurt, God. Oh He knows. And He cares. And He loves. Even when it's hard. Because His will for my life is my sanctification. Which equals "Jesus likeness". Which equals my ultimate satisfaction. Have you ever eaten healthy for any length of time? Worked out for any length of time? You had to deny yourself a few luxuries along the way (donuts, a nap, watching TV to name a few) in order to enjoy the benefits of a healthy, strong, skinny(er) body. You deny yourself one (many) momentary pleasure(s) for a greater good: a healthy, skinny(er) body. Donuts for skinniness. God does that for us. He denies us the donut for a greater good. He denies us our momentary pleasure in order to give us the lasting pleasure we have in His Son, the one He is making us like. He denies me my desire for a third pregnancy/baby (for a time, anyway, hopefully) to give me what He knows I should ultimately desire and what will ultimately satisfy, which is Christ/Christ-likeness. He's revealing to me that I really just want the donut and NOT the one who MADE the donut: God. Silly analogy but do you catch my drift?? Good grief, how stubborn my heart must be that I'm still on this rant! My last few blog posts may have different titles but they are really all about the same thing. God's sanctifying work in my life. God is lovingly and gently and caringly (is that a word?) pulling my idols out of my heart right in front of my eyes, smashing them, and then giving me Him. How gracious. How loving. It would be like me taking poison out of my son's hand and handing him an apple instead. One brings death and the other brings life and is far more satisfying. All analogies break down at some point (because God is so much more than an apple) but you get it, right?
God. Is. So. Good. To give us Himself. Instead of what we think we want when we want it more than Him.
And that is why I had to write this. For my own sake. Seeds of doubt have been planted in the soil of my mind leading me to doubt God's goodness. And by God's grace, He is plucking them up and disposing of them, one by one. And that by my gospel saturated, Christ centered Church at FBC Wolfforth through the songs we sing, the prayers they pray, the sermons they preach, the devos they teach, the conversations had with friends, etc. And by my friends who text me scripture when I don't have the desire to flip open my bible. And husbands who lovingly remind us of the gospel. And a sister who gets me and I can be totally sarcastic with in the midst of my anger and she knows I'm only kidding but can still preach truth to me in those discouraging moments. We need the body of Christ and praise God for His body of believers!
So, cheers (grande Greek Treat in the air) to God for my sanctification. For stripping me of my idols and giving me Him. Where pleasures are forevermore.
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11
Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD.
Acts 3:19-20
Come Ye Sinners
Come, ye sinners, poor and needy, weak and wounded, sick and sore,
Jesus ready stands to save you, full of pity, love, and power.
Come ye needy, come, and welcome, God's free bounty glorify,
True belief and true repentance, every grace that brings you nigh.
True belief and true repentance, every grace that brings you nigh.
I WILL ARISE AND GO TO JESUS, HE WILL EMBRACE ME IN HIS ARMS,
IN THE ARMS OF MY DEAR SAVIOR, OH THERE ARE TEN THOUSAND CHARMS
Come, ye weary, heavy laden, lost and ruined by the fall.
If you tarry till you're better, you will never come at all.
Lo, The Incarnate God ascended, pleads the merit of His blood.
Venture on Him, venture wholly, let no other trust intrude.
I WILL ARISE AND GO TO JESUS, HE WILL EMBRACE ME IN HIS ARMS,
IN THE ARMS OF MY DEAR SAVIOR, OH THERE ARE TEN THOUSAND CHARMS
I take courage that Jesus too, asked if there was any other way to save God's people, if it could be done that way, instead of the cross. But when reality settled in, He went to the cross with joy. And I too can accept the will of God for my life with joy. Because my Savior did it.
"Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done."
Luke 22:42
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, LOOKING TO JESUS, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:15-16
So, I may not like my circumstances at the moment but one thing I do have that will bring me satisfaction and joy...is Jesus. And He is really all I need.
