Were: Sanctified — Friday
Titus 2:11-14
For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. (NLT)
As followers of Jesus, sanctification is both now AND ongoing. It is now in that the sinful nature of our old life truly dies with Christ at the time we repent and accept His grace. And it is ongoing as we choose each day to resist temptation and live holy lives. Paul helped us see how this works in the letter he wrote to a young minister named Titus. Paul acknowledged that, even though we are covered in grace, we will still need to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We will still have to live in this evil world, but we can do so by pursuing wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God. That’s the sanctification journey. But choosing those things can feel at first like we’re dying. And in a sense, we are! A part of us does die when we resist the strong desires our ego constantly urges us to embrace.
In this life, it can seem as though time is mostly against us. But when it comes to the sanctifying journey, time is working for us. The longer we live, the more opportunities we have to grow and experience the grace of the Father. With each passing day, I’m grateful for what I’m still learning about God’s royal nature. In fact, receiving a new understanding of a timeless truth is one of the richest experiences I can have in this season of my life! Each day brings with it the possibility of something new to understand and experience!
Friday’s Reflection
Do you anticipate the possibility of learning something new about the Father today? If not, just ask Him. He will be kind to respond.
