Did you ever feel like you did not fit in anywhere? As a shy and timid child, I wanted so badly to be accepted. The more I felt left out, the more recklessly fearless I became until I was doing things that took me to places I never expected to be and definitely did not belong.
Looking back on this dichotomy of self, I felt alone and undesirably unique. I did not know I was broken and needed heavy duty super glue to put the shattered pieces back together. I learned much later that kind of glue comes only from being washed in the Blood of Jesus, and then persisting in His sanctification.
I no longer feel like a misfit, and every one of my experiences led me to where I am today, my true belonging. No place could please me more. The joy I have now outweighs all that came before.
Titus 3:4-7 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
This portion of scripture says it all. We were saved and washed clean by His mercy, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us. Jesus Christ, our Savior, has justified us by grace, and we are looking forward to eternal life with Him. His eternity is where we belong. What more could we want!
So how does a person get to this place? It is not by works. It is not by money, charm, intelligence, wit or philanthropy. We do not fit into this place when we become attached to a particular group. It is as Paul talks about in Philippians, by pressing on. He tells us he has not attained or perfected himself, but he knows the prize if he continues to allow the Lord to sanctify him.
Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
As Mark 8:34 tells us, “When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
So, we take up our cross and follow Jesus. And if that journey is sincere, the Holy Spirit leads us through sanctification.
“By definition, sanctification means to be reserved for holy use. The objective of every believer should be to hastily pursue this. Sanctification demonstrates the urgency to be emptied out of anything that impairs against being a useful vessel for God’s glory… The Bible is the instrument that God uses to clean our hearts.” Taken from 5 Things the Bible says about Sanctification, March 5, 2021. https://billygrahamlibrary.org
II Timothy 2:21, ”Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.”
Doesn’t this bring you great joy? We can be vessels for honor, useful to our Master and He will prepare us for His work. I am awed by this.
So how do we obtain this sanctification?
As He prayed for the disciples, Jesus asked of His Father, “But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves… I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one… Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” John 17:13,15,17.
John tells us Jesus prayed to the Father that He would keep us from the evil one and sanctify us by His truth. And our Lord’s truth comes to us in His Word. So we study, learn and grow in our righteousness through His teaching and obedience to His purification process.
Hebrews 10:23-25, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. [24] And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, [25] not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Sanctification will continue until we get where we belong, in eternity with Jesus. During that time, we are to remain steadfast in our hope, because God keeps His promises. And we are to “stir up love and good works.” For God wants us to exhort (strongly encourage) each other so we will all be together on that day that He calls us into His kingdom.
Because we are flesh, we will never be perfect, but we have His promise that when we accept His call to Salvation, He forgives our sins, past, present and future.
I Corinthians 1:30-31 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— [31] that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”
It is because of Jesus’ redemption that I am being sanctified daily. And this is what I know today. He deserves ALL the glory.
I Thessalonians 4:4, that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
This is only the tip of the process of sanctification. You can find so much more in the Bible. And there are many sound resources that can help, such as Bible Gateway, The Billy Graham Library, Got Questions Bible. My prayer for everyone is that they find their way through this process and continue until the day they reach eternity with the Lord.
Psalms 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; [24] And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
May the Lord bless you and keep you as you walk the road to eternity.
Janice S.