38 lines
4.4 KiB
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38 lines
4.4 KiB
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<title>Blue Letter Bible: Day By Day By Grace — Bob Hoekstra</title>
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Day By Day By Grace
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Bob Hoekstra
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July 26
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<h1>Once More on God's Faithfulness and His Promises</h1>
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<div class="block"><i>Now may the <b>God of peace</b> Himself <b>sanctify</b> you <b>completely</b>; and may your <b>whole spirit, soul, and body</b> be preserved <b>blameless</b> at the <b>coming</b> of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is <b>faithful</b>, who also <b>will do it</b>.</i> (<a onClick="return mV('1Th', 5, '23-24');">1 Thessalonians 5:23-24</a>)</div>
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<p>This magnificent benedictory prayer closes with another proclamation of God's <b>faithfulness</b>, coupled with a strategic promise from the Lord. <i>"He who calls you is <b>faithful</b>, who also <b>will do it</b>."</i> What has our faithful God called us to, and what is He promising to do?</p>
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<p>The Lord has called us to sanctification and blamelessness (that is, a life of increasing personal righteousness). <i>"For this is the will of God, your <b>sanctification</b>: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in <b>sanctification</b> and <b>honor</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('1Th', 4, '3-4');">1 Thessalonians 4:3-4</a>). It is the will of God that His children grow in a sanctified life (that is, to be <b>set apart</b> increasingly for the <b>glory</b>, <b>honor</b>, and <b>use</b> of <b>God</b>). The particular issue in view here is sexual purity: <i>"that you should abstain from sexual immorality."</i></p>
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<p>Another term for this godly goal is blamelessness. <i>"May your <b>whole spirit, soul, and body</b> be preserved <b>blameless</b> at the <b>coming</b> of our Lord Jesus Christ."</i> As we live unto the Lord day by day (awaiting His return), He wants us to develop in Christlikeness. He desires that there be less and less reason for people to point a finger of blame at us: <i>"that you may become <b>blameless</b> and harmless, children of God <b>without fault</b> in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you <b>shine</b> as <b>lights</b> in the world"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Phl', 2, '15-15');">Philippians 2:15</a>).</p>
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<p>How is this desire of the Lord to be accomplished? It is to be done by the work of our <b>faithful</b> God, who <b>promises</b> to do such. <i>"He who calls you is <b>faithful</b>, who also <b>will do it</b>."</i> What is the Lord's means in advancing this process? It is His word. Jesus revealed this in His prayer for us as He approached the cross. <i>"<b>Sanctify</b> them <b>by Your truth</b>. Your <b>word</b> is <b>truth</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Jhn', 17, '17-17');">John 17:17</a>). Our Lord wants to unleash the power of His word in our lives, changing the way we think and act. He wants to use His word to set us apart for Himself. The Apostle Paul wrote of this powerful spiritual process in referring to Jesus' intentions for His church: <i>"that He might <b>sanctify</b> and <b>cleanse</b> it with the <b>washing</b> of <b>water</b> by the <b>word</b>, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, <b>not</b> having <b>spot</b> or <b>wrinkle</b> or any such thing, but that it should be <b>holy</b> and <b>without blemish</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Eph', 5, '26-26');">Ephesians 5:26</a>). Will we humbly and dependently cooperate with our Lord in this desire of His heart for us?</p>
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<div class="dbdbg_prayer">Lord God of holiness, I long to be set apart more and more for Your glory, honor, and use. I yearn for more godliness in my daily life. I humbly ask You to transform my heart and mind by the power of Your holy word. You are faithful! Please do it, Lord!</div>
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