Thursday, December 21

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 (ESV)

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit.  ²⁰ Do not despise prophecies, ²¹ but test everything; hold fast what is good.  ²² Abstain from every form of evil.

²³ Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  ²⁴ He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

We have all likely prepared for a major event in our lives – perhaps a wedding, or the birth of a baby, or buying a new home, or going to college, or getting a new job, or retirement.  Major events in our lives usually require some sort of preparation.  But nothing we do in life is more important than how we prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It’s not a to-do list that we check off as we complete all the tasks; rather it is a change of heart.  We acknowledge our own sinfulness and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  After that, we are prepared for the coming of our Lord and Savior.  There is nothing else we need to do, but wait.  Wait for the Promised One to come again.

Well, nothing else than this little process we call sanctification in which the Holy Spirit transforms us into the likeness of Jesus Christ.  It is by the power of the Holy Spirit in us that we are able to test and to hold onto all that is good; that we can abstain from the evil that rages within us; that we are able to move closer toward rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, and giving thanks in all circumstances.  He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.

Faithful Father, continue the work You have begun in us to sanctify us completely, that we – our whole spirit and soul and body – may be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Prepare us this day and every day for eternal life with You.  In the precious name of Your Son, Jesus, our joy and our hope, we pray.  Amen.