Your Daily Devotional for June 12, 2006

June 12, 2006

 

Unblameable in Holiness

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

“To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.”

 

1 Thessalonians 3:13

 

When my kids were growing up, they would work on science projects each year and sometimes they would come up with some weird experiments. One year, I asked Kristine what she was working on, and she replied, “I’m growing mold.” If you have ever grown some mold of your own, either intentionally or unintentionally, you have found that it doesn’t take a lot of effort. If we are not careful, as Christians, we will begin to grow mold on our hearts. We will get to that place where our faith is not growing and our love is not abounding and our life is not consecrated to the Lord.

 

In the preceding verses of this chapter, Paul’s prayer for the church of Thessalonica was that they would mature in faith and abound in love; in verse 13, Paul adds the intent, “To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God…”  Paul was praying that their hearts would be established and “unblameable in holiness.” To what is this verse referring?

 

The correlation is found in 1 Thessalonians 1:3, “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.”  The phrase, patience of hope, is speaking about the coming of Christ. Paul’s desire for the church of Thessalonica was that they would be prepared for “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints” by living a life of holiness and consecration (vs. 13).

 

We can thank God that we will not be judged for our sins, as the Bible says in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” There will not be a day that we stand before God having lived a perfect life, for none of us are perfect. I believe, however, that our text is referencing the judgment seat of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:10 tells us, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”  

 

Though the Christian will not receive condemnation, our works will be tried. It may seem as if there are inequities in life that are rewarded when they shouldn’t be, while others do not get recognized, but one day, Christ will even all of that out at the judgment seat of Christ.

 

In light of that day, Paul is praying that they would have their hearts established, unblameable in holiness before God; that God would help them to live a life that is established as a holy life of service to God, and that their life would be separated unto God. In short, Paul is praying that the church of Thessalonica would leave a legacy of holy service to the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

It should be our prayer, today, that we would leave the same legacy of holiness, not because we are holy, but because He is holy, and when He saved us, He set us apart for the ministry. We should leave this legacy because “…the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11-12).

 

Paul tells the church at Thessalonica that they have started out well, but that they also need to end well. Are you continuing in the things that you set out to do? Are you striving to live a holy life? If not, my friend, I would encourage you to take time right now to ask God to help you live a life that would be “unblameable in holiness.”

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