Your Daily Devotional for October 24, 2007

 

October 24,  2007

 

 

His Purpose in Sanctification

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

"Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you."

 

Leviticus 20:7-8

 

 

Many years ago, Christian professor Stuart Blackie of the University of Edinburgh was listening to his students as they presented oral readings. When one young man rose to begin his recitation, he held his book in the wrong hand. The professor thundered, "Take your book in your right hand, and be seated!" At this harsh rebuke, the student held up his right arm. He didn't have a right hand! The other students shifted uneasily in their chairs.

 

For a moment the professor hesitated. Then he made his way to the student, put his arm around him, and with tears streaming from his eyes, said, "I never knew about it. Please, will you forgive me?" His humble apology made a lasting impact on that young man. This story was told some time later in a large gathering of believers. At the close of the meeting a man came forward, turned to the crowd, and raised his right arm. It ended at the wrist. He said, "I was that student. Professor Blackie led me to Christ. But he never could have done it if he had not made the wrong right."

 

None of us are perfect and we all make mistakes. Some people believe that Christians are not supposed to sin once they are saved, but we are all human and sometimes fail! God doesn't expect us to never sin again, but He does expect us to become sanctified servants. He desires to sanctify us and use us for His glory.

 

As we saw yesterday, God has a purpose for each of our lives. He desires that we would live for Him and fulfill His purpose for our lives. We saw that one purpose He has for us is that we would be a witness for Him through our testimonies and through soulwinning. Today we will see that another purpose He has for us is that we would be sanctified through Him.

 

Sanctification is not a word we use a lot today. It means being separated unto God and His purpose. It involves His ownership of our lives and His holiness in our lives. It entails conforming to His image and fulfilling His will for our lives. Not many people desire for God to change their lives and conform them to His image, but sanctification is a part of God's purpose for our lives. Let's see two ways we can conform to Christ through sanctification.

 

First, we are sanctified through God's Word. I'm sure if I were to ask you if you make God's Word a priority in your life each day, you would answer yes. The fact that you read these devotionals is testimony to that fact! But do you apply God's Word to your life? Do you take the truths and principles found in it and live them out in your life each day? Sometimes we can fall into the routine of reading God's Word without searching it for truths to apply to our daily life. If we desire to be sanctified and set apart unto God, we must not only read God's Word, but apply God's truths to our lives.

 

Second, we are sanctified through the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians 6:11 says, "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." As we go about our daily routine, we must ask the Holy Spirit for help in conforming to Christ and becoming more like Him. We must ask the Spirit every day to sanctify us.

 

Do you want to be more like Christ? Do you want Him to have control of your life? God desires that we be more like Him through sanctification. He wants to change us and set us apart so He can use us. Spend time with God right now and give Him full control of your life. Spend time in His Word and ask the Holy Spirit to help sanctify you. Ask God to fulfill His purpose of sanctification in your life today.

 

 

 

Daily Bible Reading

Jeremiah 3-5 • 1 Timothy 4

 

 

 

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