"There is always a battle royal before sanctification, always something that tugs with resentment against the demands of Jesus Christ." Sometimes it is a long, hard road to get to that place in our life where we desire what God wants more than what we want. In the January 15 reading, O.C. refers to this place, where we once and for all die to ourselves, as our "white funeral".
I Thessalonians 4:3-4, the reference verse plus the following verse, states "3It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable". God is in charge of our sanctification, but we are responsible for bringing the desires of the flesh (whatever they may be) into submission to Christ on a continual basis.
What did you glean from today's reading?
1 comment:
Today's reading brought to mind Paul's sanctification experience he described in Col.3:3-10..."worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh..." He counts all his achievements as loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and ends with "that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death..."
Our goal needs to be to KNOW HIM and be one with Him, as OC says, "sanctification isn't something Jesus Christ puts in me: it is Himself in me." PTL! His victory is ours!
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