Bible Verse of the Day Saturday November 18th, 2023

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

In the Navy, we did nothing without a General Order of the Day, which laid out critical information like the name of the "Officer of the Day" and the mission statement and its objective. When we say nothing occurred without that General Order, that means nothing. We could only watch a movie on the mess deck (That's the dining room for you civilians) with an Order of the Day. 

 

This scripture verse resembles a "General Order of the Day." Before addressing the "order of the Day," we must understand the objectives and who is in control. Please make no mistake: as Christians, we fight a battle every day. We most certainly have a clear-cut enemy fighting for human souls. We don't spend our lives on a "playground"; we are on a “battlefield” fighting for people's souls. Regarding our "general order," it is clear that our prime objective is to live for Christ Jesus and spread His gospel to the ends of the earth.

 

What about all the things we usually associate with being a follower of Jesus Christ? What about church attendance, Bible reading, prayer, avoiding sin, giving, and serving? Aren’t these the things that Christians do? Yes, they are, but here’s the difference. All these things are nothing more than an empty performance if we do them to try to make ourselves acceptable to God or if we do them to make others think that we are spiritual.

 

This counterfeit Christian living is outwardly doing spiritual things to impress God and others. So why should we do these things? We do them in response to what His Spirit is doing in us to allow Him to recreate the life of Christ in us. Our sanctification (Spiritual Growth) occurs as we submit our control to Jesus. Sanctification is not only God’s will but also God's work (1 John 17:19). The commands of God are one thing; however, His enablement is something else altogether. As Christians, we may fully understand God’s principles and fail to tap into the power of God to live accordingly.

 

There are three (3) levels of sanctification: positional, progressive, and permanent. Positionally, we maintain the same status that Christ Jesus holds before God when we believe and accept the work of Jesus on the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins. Progressively we are molded more into the image of Christ as we daily surrender to the leading, guiding, and direction of the Holy Spirit in our lives, permanently because in the glorious life hereafter, we will be like Jesus in that we will not have a sinful nature.

There is coming a day when all followers and believers in Christ Jesus will experience total, complete, and absolute sanctification. Today, Jesus saves us from sin’s penalty and its power; one day, he will save us from the presence of sin.