Thoughts for Life: The Cost of Sanctification

Oswald Chambers- "When we pray, asking God to sanctify us, are we prepared to measure up to what that really means?

We take the word sanctification much too lightly. Are we prepared to pay the cost of sanctification? (Google image, The cost of sanctification)

The cost will be a deep restriction of all our earthly
concerns, and an extensive cultivation of all our godly concerns.

Sanctification means to be intensely focused on God’s point of view. It means to secure and to keep all the strength of our body, soul, and spirit for God’s purpose alone. Are we really prepared for God to perform in us everything for which He separated us?

And after He has done His work, are we then prepared to separate ourselves to God just as Jesus did? “For their sakes I sanctify Myself . . . ” (John 17:19). The reason some of us have not entered into the experience of sanctification is that we have not realized the meaning of sanctification from God’s perspective.

Sanctification means being made one with Jesus so that the nature that controlled Him will control us. Are we really prepared for what that will cost? It will cost absolutely everything in us which is not of God.

Are we prepared to be caught up into the full meaning of Paul’s prayer in this verse? Are we prepared to say, “Lord, make me, a sinner saved by grace, as holy as You can”? Jesus prayed that we might be one with Him, just as He is one with the Father (see John 17:21-23).

The resounding evidence of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life is the unmistakable family likeness to Jesus Christ, and the freedom from everything which is not like Him. Are we prepared to set ourselves apart for the Holy Spirit’s work in us? The Cost of Sanctification
From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition

Let's pray-

Father, help us to understand that we need to be willing to be prepared for the measuring up to what sanctification really means. May we obey You and pay the cost of submitting to You.
As we see now, it will cost us some deep restrictions of our earthly concerns and be intensely focused on Your point of view.
It will mean that we secure and keep all our strength of body, soul and spirit for Your purpose alone. Help us to prepare for Your guidance in everything for which You've separated us.
May we understand that this will mean being one with Jesus, so that as You controlled Him, You will control us, costing us everything that is not of You.
May there be evidence of Your Spirit in us, causing an unmistakable family likeness to our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Help us to come free from everything which is not like Him and prepare us to set ourselves apart for Your Spirit's work in us.
I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen

Today's Bible verses-

1 Thessalonians 5:23 "Now may the God of peace

Himself sanctify you completely; and may your

whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless

at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Thess. 4:3-5 NKJV) "For this is the will of God,

your sanctification: that you should abstain

from sexual immorality; (v. 4) that each of you

should know how to possess his own vessel in

sanctification and honor, (v. 5) not in passion of

lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God."

Galatians 6:9 (AMP) "And let us not lose heart
and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and
doing right, for in due time and at the appointed
season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and
relax our courage and faint."

Today's quote-

~ Oswald Chambers- "Readiness for God means that we are prepared to do the smallest thing or the largest thing— it makes no difference. It means we have no choice in what we want to do, but that whatever God’s plans may be, we are there and ready.
Whenever any duty presents itself, we hear God’s voice as our Lord heard His Father’s voice, and we are ready for it with the total readiness of our love for Him. Jesus Christ expects to do with us just as His Father did with Him.
He can put us wherever He wants, in pleasant duties or in menial ones, because our union with Him is the same as His union with the Father. “…that they may be one just as We are one . . . ” (John 17:22). From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition

Today's guest post-
Praise the Lord and Pass the Chemo

Elaine W. Miller's story of dealing with and surviving Cancer.
"Cancer works for the good of the family, making us all aware of the preciousness of time. We wake up and realize today is the day to put our technology away and have meaningful or fun face-to-face conversations and laughs with the ones we love. Family walks and vacations we hoped to do one day now become a priority."

{76 days ago, the Lord challenged me to begin selecting a one-line Scripture each day to learn. As I've not been successful with memorizing anything over the years, I felt it might just work to get the Word in my heart and soul.

I believed that I was to open to my daily devotional Scripture (ODB) and look for a one-line verse on the pages, (many I'd underlined in red which had spoken to me while reading through my new Bible this past year.) I'm recording them in a small note pad, so I can refer to the new verse several times a day. By evening, I know it fairly well. If I remember it in the morning, I look for a new one.

As of this posting, I'm on #76, (Rom. 12:21) and counting! I plan to add 5 more of them to each Saturday's post, til I reach a 100 count, and then maybe go back and re-learn them. Seems a great way to celebrate my 82nd Birthday yesterday!}
Maybe you'd like to take the challenge to learn from my listing of 5 new verses each week!
If you'd just as soon find your own 5 each week, make a note of them each day, maybe in a small notebook so you can repeat them until you know them! God bless the effort you're willing to make, my friend.

1- 5 of 100 one-line Scriptures

(I'm learning them in KJV, because that's what I've used for over 65 years)

Given in NKJV

1. Phil. 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"

2. Prov. 16:23 "The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips."

3. Prov. 19:20 "Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days."

4. Prov. 4:13 "Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; keep her, for she is your life."

5. Matt. 5:48 "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

Upcoming posts-

#39 Praying and the Common Place

21st- Tuesday's post by Samuel Chadwick

#40 Prayer and Daily Toil
23rd- Thursday's post by Samuel Chadwick

All Knowledge
25th- Saturday's post by Lee Forbes

#41 Whatsoever Ye Shall Ask
28th- Tuesday's post by Samuel Chadwick

A fun picture to celebrate
that I'm now 82!