5/16/19 

I Thessalonians 4:3

³ For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;

The prayer of the Lord Jesus gives His disciples begins “Your kingdom come, your will be done.”  This is the form of prayer that is to be always before us.  God’s will for us is to a primary interest.

That being so, if our sanctification is the will of God for us, and we are told plainly that it is, then that should begin and end our day as we seek our days to be spent following out the will of God. Personal holiness should be our chief concern.  But how do we accomplish this?

First there is Psalm 1:2.   But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.

The law of God is to govern our activity.  Here it is helpful to remember the summary of the Law and to love God and our neighbors.  Because loving our neighbors is so much more present and difficult we often forget what it is to love God.  Yet if we do not love God we neither can nor will love our neighbor.  But how do we love God?  The Scriptures alone inform us how this is to be done.

Second in John 17:17 we are directed to truth to order our sanctification. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. And sanctification and truth is identified, the Word of God or the Holy Scriptures.  God’s Holy word alone can direct us in His Law and in our holiness.  We are informed in Hebrews 12:14 (NKJV) the importance and end of holiness.

¹⁴ Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: