Friday, March 25, 2011

Sanctification

SANCTIFICATION
Ezekiel 36:25-27
The Message: “I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put My Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by My commands.”

We’ve skated around the word, sanctification (sank-tif-i-KA-shon means dedication). We used it to describe how a believer is transformed into Christ-likeness. We stressed that it’s a life-long process. The best example that shows what it means is metamorphosis (met-a-MORF-o-sis means change, alteration). Check out: a slimy, spiky bug disappears into a cocoon (ka-KOON means insulated wrap), spun from its own body. Soon after, it emerges as a delicate, graceful, magnificent butterfly. Our change from the instant of salvation (accepting Jesus as Lord) is just as radical.

Remember Glue devotion? Keith found new third-grade friends on his school’s playground. The next day, recess found him bounding outside with Shakira and Bethany. “What do you want to do?”

“I say 4-Square” Shakira answered, claiming a spot on the painted blacktop.

“OK, I’ll get a ball” Keith volunteered.

When he returned, Bethany and Greg had claimed their squares. “Ready?” Keith challenged.


Today, Keith appears different to the kids—and indeed, he is. He no longer finds fault with everything. He’s pleasant, and helpful. Just as finding kids who want to be friends gave Keith a new outlook on life, God’s kids also have a new spirit dwelling inside them. The Holy Spirit makes Himself comfy and starts working immediately (1Corinthians 6:1). No time to waste making us Christ-like. No wonder it takes a lifetime to get us right!
God plucks out our death-bound, sinful, wicked heart and creates a new person. The new person is forgiven, honest, respectable. But our new self wrestles with the old-self. The “new creature”, or person, describes our new position in Christ—exactly. But, despite our being eternally secure as children of God, our flesh bodies continue to battle evil as long as we’re on earth. Sanctification will eventually win the war, but the battle rages on.

The Holy Spirit helps us oppose sin, and teaches us how to live—one day, one battle at a time. Our yielding to His urgings helps smooth our ascent to righteousness. Won’t you help by not resisting His efforts?

Take Home Nugget

The bell rang, signaling end of recess. Greg grabbed the ball. “I’ll return it, Keith” he said with a smile. “For the first time, I enjoyed playing a game with you.”

Lord, won’t You please lead me safely
With footsteps through this day?
Help my understanding so carefully
Weaving my path for future way.

J.D. Griffith
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