1 Peter 1:8-9 – Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
THEME OF THE DAY: GOD’S WORK OF SANCTIFICATION IN US. Every Christian grows spiritually. Theologians define such growth as “sanctification” which basically means “to set apart.” Christians are “set apart” by God in two ways.
First, at salvation, God sets them apart in Christ for His possession and purposes. This is a decisive moment at conversion that is positional, not experiential. God takes a believing person and puts a stamp of ownership on him or her. It is not a feeling, though will include experiences of gratitude and joy. It is God taking a sinner and placing that sinner in His forever family for His good pleasure.
The second way God works sanctification in His children is a process. It is His work of weaning us from the world and conforming us into the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus. He does this “setting apart” through the normal circumstances in life and our obedience to His Word. Such an understanding of the work of sanctification makes us see the importance of obedience. As life unfolds in its daily routines, our obedience to His Word determines if spiritual growth is progressing or digressing. Don’t lose sight of this. We are never in a neutral place spiritually. Either we are growing or declining. There is no “spiritual neutral” when it comes to spiritual growth.
As our growth in Christ occurs, it shows itself in many ways. Here are a few; holiness increases, desire for the Word intensifies, prayer becomes a delight, sin is hated, church attendance is anticipated with eagerness, being with God’s people is a passion, and longing for more obedience deepens. Those are just a few things which will be present in a growing Christian. And all those should be rejoiced over as God develops them in us. Yet, all of them do not stand alone. They point to the one thing which is the chief goal in all Christian growth. This one thing is why God is sanctifying us. This one thing is captured in two words and define the greatest experience we will ever have in life. The Apostle Peter uses them in today’s scripture. They are “love Him.” Think with me on those two words “Love Him.” Isn’t that what makes life meaningful – loving Jesus Christ? Isn’t that what moves us to live life with spiritual zeal – loving Jesus Christ? Isn’t that what removes the deception of sin and deadens the heart to the things of the world – loving Jesus Christ? Friends, God sanctifies us to draw us closer, not only in becoming like Jesus, but to love Him.
If these two words, “love Him”, define the greatest experience in life, how does this happen? Well, I am not going to challenge us to “do more” for Jesus. No, we don’t love Him more and more by our activity, or become more sanctified as Christians by our Christian busyness. We love Him by our beholding Him and this primarily through His Word and prayer. But let the wise and stirring words of Charles Spurgeon direct us to a more detailed understanding of the Biblical way of loving Jesus – “Love to Jesus is maintained and continued in its warmth and fervor by frequent meditation on His adorable person, His dying love, and His infinite excellence and preciousness. If we lose sight of Him as the spring of all our happiness, and of His ineffable glories, the fervency of our love for Him will be abated.” May the Lord help us to live moment-by-moment by the greatest words defining our greatest experience – loving the Lord Jesus; the end goal of the process called “sanctification.”
PRAYER: “Father, may I never lose the childlikeness in my heart and my faith that simply lives to love You.”
QUOTE: “Two words sum up all of life and are to be our daily passion and pursuit in our lives – love Christ.”