For this is the will of God, even your sanctification… 1 Thessalonians 4:3
The word ‘sanctified’ means to be ‘set apart’ for a special purpose. Let’s look at the Old Testament tabernacle: ‘The Lord said… ‘”Make a bronze washbasin… Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet there… whenever they… appear before the Lord… ”’ (Exodus 30:18-20 NLT). Why wash their hands and feet? Because our hands speak of our actions and our feet speak of our walk, and both must be cleansed daily. The Psalmist writes, ‘Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle?… He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness’ (Psalm 15:1-2 NKJV).
Paul points out: ‘In a large house there are utensils… some for special use, some for ordinary’ (2 Timothy 2:20 NRS). This is not about salvation; as a Christian you’re already in the house. No, it’s about cleaning up our act so God can use us in positions of honour! If you’ve been walking with God for a long time He demands a higher level of commitment! AW Tozer writes: ‘Think about people who find themselves in religious ruts.
They discover a number of things about themselves. They find that they are getting older but not getting any holier. Time is their enemy, not their friend… they were not any better last year than they had been the year before.’ Oswald Chambers writes: ‘Am I becoming more and more in love with God as a Holy God, or with the conception of an amicable being who says, “Oh, well, sin doesn’t matter much?’ Yes, it’s true, God’s grace is greater than our sin. But: ‘As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him’
(2 Corinthians 3:18 TLB)
The Word for Today with Bob Gass – Tuesday, 8th June 2010
