There was a report in my Yahoo home page this morning about a 34 year-old worker who lost his life yesterday while opening up a Wal-mart store at 5:00 am for it's Black Friday sales. He was trampled by all those poor shoppers who had been waiting in line for hours to go take hold of their TV god of wide-screenness. And what's more, some of them became angry when they were told they needed to leave due to the death of someone in the store. "I’ve been in line since yesterday morning" was the reported response from some shoppers who tried to continue their acts of worship even after their dismissal was requested. Amazing. I can hear the weepy defense now of those who will (hopefully) be directly charged with bringing about this man's death. "These are hard economic times, and I was just trying to provide a good Christmas for my family this year. Sniff-sniff."
We all want to think of ourselves as being right; this isn't a new problem, but I think perhaps it has worsened. Nearly gone are the days of humility and repentance and the understanding of what those positions even mean. We have become so crafty in thinking up quick ways to justify ourselves. The logic (or lack thereof) that I find myself and others using is really quite disturbing. In simplified form, it sounds something like this, "I don't think I've done anything wrong, therefore I have done nothing wrong." Deep. What is happening here that makes us turn into such blubbering idiots when bits of our reputation seem on the line? Perhaps it stands to reason that we really do feel confronted by some larger reality, something that is telling us we're not in the clear but need to be in order to feel comfortable both with ourselves and with that "something" that seems to be telling us we've been naughty.
Jesus saw this kind of self-justification going on with people and wasn't afraid to deal with it head on. In Luke 16, we have recorded one of His lessons on financial stewardship where He concludes, "You cannot serve God and money" (V. 13). The Pharisees were listening in and had an interesting reaction, even though it doesn't seem that Jesus even mentioned them by name. We're told in verse 14 that, being those who were lovers of money, they ridiculed Him! My goodness, why the great offense? Why the lashing out at Jesus? Here's the reasoning I think they were probably using that led them to this reaction: "We are religious people who enjoy acquiring wealth, therefore we are OK in being this way." Again, deep. Jesus doesn't let them slide but instead deals with both their faulty reasoning and their lack of submission to God. "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted in the sight of men is an abomination in the sight of God" (V. 15). So in essence, he tells them that they aren't the standard of what is right/wrong, good/bad, giving them no place to justify themselves. And then He basically tells them that if they don't use God's law as their standard, what they do will be an abomination to Him. In their lack of God motivation, we see that God was neither their means nor their end in getting to what was right; instead, they were, and Jesus says to them, "You lose."
We will however find ourselves in the "winners' circle" if we approach the Lord like the tax collector who, with eyes to the ground "beat his breast, saying, 'God be merciful to me, a sinner' (Luke 18:13), instead of looking more like the Pharisee in the same parable who shouts out a prayer of arrogance that sounds something like, "God, thanks that I'm the great guy that I sure do think I am." There's a big part of me that wants to say I'm more like the tax collector than the Pharisee; right away I want to! But a quick self-evaluation isn't enough. What does God see? We need to ask Him, seeing as how He is both the Standard and the Judge. Being better than others or even better than we used to be might be signs of something good going on in our lives, but it does not give us license to start thinking that we can then "reason" certain accusations away or start thinking highly of ourselves. If we do, we'll start thinking that because we worked so hard standing in line since yesterday, we should be able to stay and buy the TV over which a man lost his life.
Lord, examine my heart. Are You my motivation and standard in rightness? Please give me eyes that are fixed upon You and a soul that is in love with Your ways. Place within me a humble heart that is open to Your every correction. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
God Motivation and a Sermon
This is not much of a blog post by way of text, but feeling somewhat uninspired and short on time this weekend, I am taking the easy way out and posting a sermon here that I preached about a year and a half ago. In preaching and teaching, it has been my great desire to be God motivated before others in such a way that they might grow in the same.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
God Motivation through Change
Routine is helpful when it comes to having God motivation. Most events come into our lives on cue, we learn how to gear up for the more intense periods of activity, and we figure out how we need to space out our "fueling" times in order to be most prepared to best handle the regular challenges that come our way. Not so in seasons of great change. I am about to enter one of those seasons. Excited as I am for the new job I'll be entering into within the next few weeks (Lord willing), I am still faced with the reality that I have much to learn ahead of me. Yes, a significant part of that learning has to do with finding out how to best do my job, but really how to best use the time outside of the office is at least just as important. Part of the reason for the emphasis that I'm putting on the latter has to do with the fact that I'll be moving from a 2nd shift position to one that is 1st shift. But really, those details aren't essential information for the topic at hand. Bottom line: Things they are a changin' and I want to have a God motivated approach through the time of change. I need a model, a template, a pattern to follow; how about a Savior?
We know relatively little of Jesus' life before he entered into ministry at about the age of thirty (Luke 3:23), but we know his "job" was something quite different from the miraculous, Spirit-filled, teaching ministry most of us are familiar with. He was a carpenter just like his dad (Mark 6:3; Matthew 13:55). So what did Jesus do in His time of shifting from one place to another? I have this strange feeling I'm about to be very convicted.
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented (Matthew 3:13-14). I've been baptized, so let's move on to step two. OK, not really. Jesus was doing something here beyond providing a basic example of us of immersion baptism. If you recall, right after he came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended and rested upon Him in the form of a dove, followed by God's voice of approval, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Jesus was here standing before everyone as God's Servant carrying God's presence. He knew it was necessary to present Himself as One fully dedicated to the Father to be used by Him in whatever ways His Father instructed. Jesus didn't need to be baptized to show everyone that He was leaving behind a life of sin, (just as I don't need to be baptized again), but he was clearly declaring that in this move from one place in society to another, God was His motivation. He was seeking the Father's approval and would have His Spirit leading Him along. This then is where I know I likewise need to be.
Second, Jesus held on to the truth of the Scriptures in the midst of great temptation to abandon God motivation. Right after He was baptized we are told that the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Here are His words as Satan tried to manipulate Him into a place of compromise: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes form the mouth of God...You shall not put the Lord your God to the test...You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10). These are all quotations of the Old Testament Scriptures that Jesus knew and was ready to use. Satan was working hard to get Jesus to be willing to take the easy way out of a difficult circumstance in a transitional season where His integrity was on the line. But Jesus knew and used the truth. One of the things that I have been struggling with in just the last day or two is how essential some of the extra studying that I've been doing (by way of Bible courses online) really is. In other words, could I be using any of that time in better ways? Don't get me wrong--it's not that I have any kind of intention of slacking off spiritually as I ask this, but I do think that there is something inside me, however subtle, that wants a little more ME time. Looking at Jesus' example though, I think I have my answer. I'm pretty certain I'm weak enough to give into the temptations that Jesus did not yield to, even when I'm spending lots of time seeking to grow in the Lord through a variety of avenues. Elimination of even some of the peripheral ones probably is not what's needed.
Finally, just as he was stepping into His life of ministry, we are told Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God...(Mark 1:14). Jesus did a lot of "stuff" after transitioning out of carpentry work: miracles, traveling, discipleship...saving the world. But right as he was getting started with all this, he made sure the people around Him knew the gospel. Maybe some of them already knew it, but I'm guessing He reminded them anyway and wasn't afraid to show His excitement about it. His ministry was wrapped up in the good news that He had come into the world to do something nobody else could do, actions that were of supreme, eternal value to helpless, sinful you and I. I have every reason to be a glad, gospel speaking, "about thirty" year old man as I come through this time of change, challenging others to enter into the joy of God motivation in all of life.
Lord God, please be my motivation in this season. Help me to know that I have been set apart unto You, having turned away from my sin. Give me an even greater love for your Word that I might know how to love You more and stand against even the most subtle temptations to sin against You. Please make me a gospel saturated person. Amen.
We know relatively little of Jesus' life before he entered into ministry at about the age of thirty (Luke 3:23), but we know his "job" was something quite different from the miraculous, Spirit-filled, teaching ministry most of us are familiar with. He was a carpenter just like his dad (Mark 6:3; Matthew 13:55). So what did Jesus do in His time of shifting from one place to another? I have this strange feeling I'm about to be very convicted.
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented (Matthew 3:13-14). I've been baptized, so let's move on to step two. OK, not really. Jesus was doing something here beyond providing a basic example of us of immersion baptism. If you recall, right after he came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended and rested upon Him in the form of a dove, followed by God's voice of approval, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Jesus was here standing before everyone as God's Servant carrying God's presence. He knew it was necessary to present Himself as One fully dedicated to the Father to be used by Him in whatever ways His Father instructed. Jesus didn't need to be baptized to show everyone that He was leaving behind a life of sin, (just as I don't need to be baptized again), but he was clearly declaring that in this move from one place in society to another, God was His motivation. He was seeking the Father's approval and would have His Spirit leading Him along. This then is where I know I likewise need to be.
Second, Jesus held on to the truth of the Scriptures in the midst of great temptation to abandon God motivation. Right after He was baptized we are told that the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Here are His words as Satan tried to manipulate Him into a place of compromise: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes form the mouth of God...You shall not put the Lord your God to the test...You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10). These are all quotations of the Old Testament Scriptures that Jesus knew and was ready to use. Satan was working hard to get Jesus to be willing to take the easy way out of a difficult circumstance in a transitional season where His integrity was on the line. But Jesus knew and used the truth. One of the things that I have been struggling with in just the last day or two is how essential some of the extra studying that I've been doing (by way of Bible courses online) really is. In other words, could I be using any of that time in better ways? Don't get me wrong--it's not that I have any kind of intention of slacking off spiritually as I ask this, but I do think that there is something inside me, however subtle, that wants a little more ME time. Looking at Jesus' example though, I think I have my answer. I'm pretty certain I'm weak enough to give into the temptations that Jesus did not yield to, even when I'm spending lots of time seeking to grow in the Lord through a variety of avenues. Elimination of even some of the peripheral ones probably is not what's needed.
Finally, just as he was stepping into His life of ministry, we are told Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God...(Mark 1:14). Jesus did a lot of "stuff" after transitioning out of carpentry work: miracles, traveling, discipleship...saving the world. But right as he was getting started with all this, he made sure the people around Him knew the gospel. Maybe some of them already knew it, but I'm guessing He reminded them anyway and wasn't afraid to show His excitement about it. His ministry was wrapped up in the good news that He had come into the world to do something nobody else could do, actions that were of supreme, eternal value to helpless, sinful you and I. I have every reason to be a glad, gospel speaking, "about thirty" year old man as I come through this time of change, challenging others to enter into the joy of God motivation in all of life.
Lord God, please be my motivation in this season. Help me to know that I have been set apart unto You, having turned away from my sin. Give me an even greater love for your Word that I might know how to love You more and stand against even the most subtle temptations to sin against You. Please make me a gospel saturated person. Amen.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
God Motivation and Niceness
Be nice. This is a command that most of us learn from our parents at a young age, and it's good instruction. Yes, it's a good line that keeps us from being hateful toward others, from initiating conflict, and from being that bully that everyone avoids. Be nice--good advice.
But all good advice needs to be both correctly informed and rightly applied. In other words, being nice sometimes involves telling people what they need to hear in order to keep them from going down a deadly path. In such cases people need to be told to turn around; that's just the nice thing to do. When Titus (3) is running around the house with the laundry basket on his head and I see him heading toward the stairs that lead down to the first floor, I don't say, "Have fun in Jesus, Kiddo!" That would not be nice. The fun that he would have for the next few steps are not worth the fall that he would experience a moment later.
I wonder if we have eyes to see the laundry baskets on people's heads, given the way we often present the gospel to people today. It seems that so many have been made to think that Jesus fits in quite well with their current life path. Just put a "Jesus loves me" bumper sticker on their basket, one that they decide is cool to don, and send them on their way, perhaps encouraging some life-reform...in a nice way. Recently though, I noticed a thread running through the gospels that seems to give us a model of "niceness" that looks a bit different. Consider the following texts:
I question sometimes how hard I really work at making sure that people become God motivated. What I mean is that I'm all too satisfied with simply trying to say and do the right things myself while the people I'm relating to are headed toward the deadly stairs under their baskets of sin. I'm probably scared. See, there's also a common theme in the lives of all these people/groups in near totality: martyrdom. Consider here the One for whom the other mere men died. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God... (1 Peter 3:18). Didn't He do enough to give us cause to carry on the legacy? All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). People cannot be reconciled to a holy God without true repentance, and they won't ever become God motivated people if they never behold God for the great treasure that He is.
As a church, we need to wake up to our responsibility of following the model set forth in the gospels to call people to repentance. We cannot expect our own local flocks or the people of the world to think or act by any standard other than their own if we're silent about their sin. And even more, we rob everyone of the great joy of knowing life eternal through Jesus Christ when we leave them under their blinding burdens. The time is only growing shorter; be nice, for Jesus' sake.
Father, if You're to be my motivation, and if I desire others to be motivated by and toward You as well, please help me to start doing what in many cases is the nicest, most kind and compassionate thing I can do: call them to repent. Lord Jesus, awaken us as Your church to see Your great worth so much that we turn from every sin and esteem You so greatly before others that they are challenged to turn in the same fashion. Amen.
But all good advice needs to be both correctly informed and rightly applied. In other words, being nice sometimes involves telling people what they need to hear in order to keep them from going down a deadly path. In such cases people need to be told to turn around; that's just the nice thing to do. When Titus (3) is running around the house with the laundry basket on his head and I see him heading toward the stairs that lead down to the first floor, I don't say, "Have fun in Jesus, Kiddo!" That would not be nice. The fun that he would have for the next few steps are not worth the fall that he would experience a moment later.
I wonder if we have eyes to see the laundry baskets on people's heads, given the way we often present the gospel to people today. It seems that so many have been made to think that Jesus fits in quite well with their current life path. Just put a "Jesus loves me" bumper sticker on their basket, one that they decide is cool to don, and send them on their way, perhaps encouraging some life-reform...in a nice way. Recently though, I noticed a thread running through the gospels that seems to give us a model of "niceness" that looks a bit different. Consider the following texts:
- In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:1-2).
- Then, skipping to the start of Jesus' ministry, we read, From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17).
- Finally, the twelve apostles, having been sent out by Jesus, went out and proclaimed that people should repent (Mark 6:12).
I question sometimes how hard I really work at making sure that people become God motivated. What I mean is that I'm all too satisfied with simply trying to say and do the right things myself while the people I'm relating to are headed toward the deadly stairs under their baskets of sin. I'm probably scared. See, there's also a common theme in the lives of all these people/groups in near totality: martyrdom. Consider here the One for whom the other mere men died. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God... (1 Peter 3:18). Didn't He do enough to give us cause to carry on the legacy? All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). People cannot be reconciled to a holy God without true repentance, and they won't ever become God motivated people if they never behold God for the great treasure that He is.
As a church, we need to wake up to our responsibility of following the model set forth in the gospels to call people to repentance. We cannot expect our own local flocks or the people of the world to think or act by any standard other than their own if we're silent about their sin. And even more, we rob everyone of the great joy of knowing life eternal through Jesus Christ when we leave them under their blinding burdens. The time is only growing shorter; be nice, for Jesus' sake.
Father, if You're to be my motivation, and if I desire others to be motivated by and toward You as well, please help me to start doing what in many cases is the nicest, most kind and compassionate thing I can do: call them to repent. Lord Jesus, awaken us as Your church to see Your great worth so much that we turn from every sin and esteem You so greatly before others that they are challenged to turn in the same fashion. Amen.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
God Motivation and Regarding God
It's always intriguing to watch how people interact with one another, checking out their "social skills" if you will. Although we're all unique in our methods of communication, we each possess people-pleasing tendencies that show through in our conversation, verbal and otherwise. Some would argue with this, attesting to the idea that they "roll their own way," don't care what others think, and just speak their minds wherever they go. There are, I suppose, those who do exhibit many such characteristics, but the title is still the same, just put into the singular: person-pleaser. Really though, when it comes down to it, though we might not want to admit it, people-pleasing is a game we play. Nobody wants to be hated, and everybody knows that saying whatever we feel like at any given moment will end up giving us that very response.
But this phrase, people-pleaser, has a very negative connotation in our culture seeing as how we pride ourselves so much in our (perceived) individuality and (supposed) ability to be whoever we want to be regardless of what others might think. There's a good side of this uniqueness of course. God hand-crafted each person to be different from every other in order that we might fulfill a specific niche in this world as part of His greater plan. To try and be someone else would betray that roll we've been given. But, viewed a certain way, there's also a very negative side to our individuality as we were not meant to be individualistic unto ourselves. We are to be who we are unto Another. Consider this excerpt from 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8: Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to live and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification...For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives His Holy Spirit to you. There was a way that the Thessalonians were meant to live as new Christians, and this way coincided with pleasing God. The greatest way that they could glorify God was not to just "be themselves," but to live in such a way that they were aiming at God's pleasure in them. That sounds so simple, but I really wonder if I get it. I wonder how much I want to please others by showing them that I stick out as someone who looks like I'm really pleasing God. Tricky. What happens when I'm talking to someone more mature in the faith about spiritual things? Do I hope that I look more like a God-pleaser to them than I probably really am? And do I make sure I throw in enough humility talk so as to add to my projected piety? Been there, done that...hope I'm not doing it now.
But I think one of the things that we're to notice here is that there's something much more simple, something we're to focus on rather than the complicated masquerade we keep up. Verse 3: For this is the will of God, your sanctification. That is refreshingly beautiful to me. Read it again. God's desire for you and me is that we grow into thinking, looking, and acting more and more like Jesus; period. The instructions that Paul and his companions gave the Thessalonians were "in the Lord Jesus," and "through the Lord Jesus" (Vv. 1, 2). We are to become holy as our Savior is holy: resisting temptation, listening to our Father, practicing righteous authenticity. This of course has some implications, but again, even they aren't complicated. It logically follows that we must, for instance, know the way of sanctification as revealed in the Scriptures, we must know our Lord Jesus as presented throughout the Word of God, and we must be in continual communication with our Creator. Sanctification over a lifetime ultimately happens by God's grace alone, but it also doesn't "just happen."
This simple truth about God's will is such a comfort to me in these days in large part because I have many questions about the future and some significant frustration with my situation at present. I believe that God is calling me to something other than what I am doing, but He has yet to call me away from where I am. So just what is it that I need to know about His will for me right now? Sanctification. Growing in and conforming to the likeness of Christ. This gives me clarity for the day, knowing much of what I need to be focusing on/spending time doing, and patience for the future that is yet to be revealed.
But as much joy as this simple truth provides, Paul also adds considerable weight to it's meaning. After going through some examples of areas in which they were to pursue holiness, he makes sure that the Thessalonians put his words into practice with God motivation. Whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God. Any ignoring of the truth would put them into trouble with Paul, yes, but that wouldn't be their main problem. They would be disregarding God, as if they were pushing Him aside, taking their attention off of Him, and living with motivation elsewhere to other things. God is to be given full regard as the ultimate reason for everything the Christian does. He is the Author of the truth that we are called to walk in and the One who sanctifies us through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. My sanctification involves regarding God at every moment, with Him as my motivation. This is weighty, incredibly intimate, and causes me to fear the Lord in a whole new way. I know that I must have Him and be intensely near Him, but I feel so unholy. Praise Him, praise Him for Jesus, my sweet righteousness! Incredible.
Awesome Lord God, help me to regard You in all things. Be my motivation in sanctification. Purify my heart. Thank-you for Jesus. In His name, Amen.
But this phrase, people-pleaser, has a very negative connotation in our culture seeing as how we pride ourselves so much in our (perceived) individuality and (supposed) ability to be whoever we want to be regardless of what others might think. There's a good side of this uniqueness of course. God hand-crafted each person to be different from every other in order that we might fulfill a specific niche in this world as part of His greater plan. To try and be someone else would betray that roll we've been given. But, viewed a certain way, there's also a very negative side to our individuality as we were not meant to be individualistic unto ourselves. We are to be who we are unto Another. Consider this excerpt from 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8: Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to live and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification...For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives His Holy Spirit to you. There was a way that the Thessalonians were meant to live as new Christians, and this way coincided with pleasing God. The greatest way that they could glorify God was not to just "be themselves," but to live in such a way that they were aiming at God's pleasure in them. That sounds so simple, but I really wonder if I get it. I wonder how much I want to please others by showing them that I stick out as someone who looks like I'm really pleasing God. Tricky. What happens when I'm talking to someone more mature in the faith about spiritual things? Do I hope that I look more like a God-pleaser to them than I probably really am? And do I make sure I throw in enough humility talk so as to add to my projected piety? Been there, done that...hope I'm not doing it now.
But I think one of the things that we're to notice here is that there's something much more simple, something we're to focus on rather than the complicated masquerade we keep up. Verse 3: For this is the will of God, your sanctification. That is refreshingly beautiful to me. Read it again. God's desire for you and me is that we grow into thinking, looking, and acting more and more like Jesus; period. The instructions that Paul and his companions gave the Thessalonians were "in the Lord Jesus," and "through the Lord Jesus" (Vv. 1, 2). We are to become holy as our Savior is holy: resisting temptation, listening to our Father, practicing righteous authenticity. This of course has some implications, but again, even they aren't complicated. It logically follows that we must, for instance, know the way of sanctification as revealed in the Scriptures, we must know our Lord Jesus as presented throughout the Word of God, and we must be in continual communication with our Creator. Sanctification over a lifetime ultimately happens by God's grace alone, but it also doesn't "just happen."
This simple truth about God's will is such a comfort to me in these days in large part because I have many questions about the future and some significant frustration with my situation at present. I believe that God is calling me to something other than what I am doing, but He has yet to call me away from where I am. So just what is it that I need to know about His will for me right now? Sanctification. Growing in and conforming to the likeness of Christ. This gives me clarity for the day, knowing much of what I need to be focusing on/spending time doing, and patience for the future that is yet to be revealed.
But as much joy as this simple truth provides, Paul also adds considerable weight to it's meaning. After going through some examples of areas in which they were to pursue holiness, he makes sure that the Thessalonians put his words into practice with God motivation. Whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God. Any ignoring of the truth would put them into trouble with Paul, yes, but that wouldn't be their main problem. They would be disregarding God, as if they were pushing Him aside, taking their attention off of Him, and living with motivation elsewhere to other things. God is to be given full regard as the ultimate reason for everything the Christian does. He is the Author of the truth that we are called to walk in and the One who sanctifies us through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. My sanctification involves regarding God at every moment, with Him as my motivation. This is weighty, incredibly intimate, and causes me to fear the Lord in a whole new way. I know that I must have Him and be intensely near Him, but I feel so unholy. Praise Him, praise Him for Jesus, my sweet righteousness! Incredible.
Awesome Lord God, help me to regard You in all things. Be my motivation in sanctification. Purify my heart. Thank-you for Jesus. In His name, Amen.
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