Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Sanctification can seem rather daunting at times. Often when we take a close look at our daily lives, ‘blameless’ is not the word that best describes our conduct. But, we don’t sanctify ourselves. Sanctification is God’s work in our lives, and He is faithful to accomplish everything He sets out to do.
Look at Abraham. God called him out of the Chaldeans and promised to bless the world through Abraham’s offspring, though Abraham had no children. Abraham tried to fulfill God’s promise on his own through his wife’s servant, Hagar. Despite Abraham’s disobedience, God was faithful to fulfill His promise through Abraham’s wife, Sarah, and Isaac was born. Eventually, Abraham obeyed God when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah. Abraham was willing because he believed that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead. God was faithful to complete the work He started in Abraham.
Peter is another example. He followed Jesus throughout His earthy ministry and professed Jesus to be the Christ. But, when Jesus predicted His death, Peter would not accept it and tried to discourage Jesus from this path. Even in the early morning hours before Jesus was crucified, Peter would deny he even knew Jesus. After Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus makes a point to take Peter aside and strengthen Peter’s faith. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter went on to speak boldly for Jesus, suffering gladly for His Name. God was faithful to complete the work He started in Peter.
God is faithful to complete the work He began in us, too. That doesn’t mean we throw up our hands and do nothing, that would be disobedience. God has commanded us to walk like Christ, to be in His Word, and to love Him with our whole heart. It is by His grace that small choices of obedience bring about change in our lives, even if we cannot always see it. God is able to bring about our sanctification and to make us blameless at the coming of Jesus. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation!
References: Genesis 12:1-9, Genesis 16, Genesis 21:1-7, Genesis 22:1-18, Matthew 16:13-23, Matthew 26:69-75, John 21:15-19, Acts 5:17-42
Studio Update:
Getting ready for an open house on November 16! Bring a friend, join us for a cup of tea, and enjoy browsing my “Blairfully Made Shop” in person. Email me to ask for the details (blair@blairfullymade.com), if you are interested in coming.
I’ve been making up some cards, recipe cards, potholders and towels… and we’ll have printed copies of next year’s calendar! Most of the new stuff is live (except the calendar download, which will be available soon). So if you can’t join us November 16, feel free to shop around here.
Anyway, that’s all for now. Hope to see you November 16!
Thanks,
Blair