Daily Devotions
February 6th, 2018 by Pastor Solley1 Thess 4:1-4
4 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
KJV
We began our look at sanctification yesterday. Here we find that sanctification is personal. (Verse 3) If something is mine then it is personal. Why does God want me to be sanctified, why does God want me to be set apart? First of all it is for me. When a believer in Christ is set apart by God and for God it will bring glory and honor unto God. But that is not the first reason for our, for your sanctification. Sanctification as was pointed out yesterday is for man. What am I to be set apart from? I am to be set apart from the world, from the sins and actions of the world, from the thoughts of the world, I am to be set apart from the world. Why is this good for me? Many people seem to wonder why it is good for the Christian to be set apart from the world when we miss so much. Yes we do miss much and as I look back at my life I can see how very much I have missed. I have never been arrested, never been in a bar fight, never have been in trouble over alcohol or drugs, my wife and I have never separated, I am not divorced, owe no gambling debts, and so on. I am not perfect, I have many faults, I am not sinless, that is not the point. But I look at many of the people I grew up with, went to school with, worked with years ago and I see all those troubles in their lives and I thank the Lord Jesus Christ that by His mercy and grace I have not had to go down that path. Sanctification, being set apart if for our good first.