For this is the will of God, your sanctification…

­­­­– 1 Thessalonians 4:3

The Apostle Paul’s emphasis is so easily and frequently missed, and in just nine words he encapsulates the very purpose of God’s calling for our lives, “For THIS is the will of God: your sanctification…” We can accurately translate the word ‘sanctification’ in this context to ‘holiness’, and moreover in verse seven, Paul draws this out in contrast to impurity. We are called, justified and glorified for this one purpose – ‘a people for His own possession, to be a holy priesthood/nation to offer spiritual sacrifices (by our living) acceptable to Him. (1 Peter 2:5-9); He that is holy has called us to holiness in all our conduct (chapter 1:15). Further on in chapter 2:13-20, Peter gives some specific practical application in how the evidences of sanctification manifests itself in daily living and uses the same terminology as Paul: “For this is the will of God, that by doing good…”(verse 15). Sanctification inexorably manifests itself through righteous living – not using our justified status in Christ as a license for ‘loose’ conduct, but as bondservants or slaves to Christ; for we have been bought with a price not to please ourselves but to live unto Him Who gave His life as a ransom in order to liberate us to live righteously.

Now that we are a people for God’s own possession, we are to seek to be of use to Him, not to promote our own ends no matter how ‘just’ the cause; we are to live to further and promote the extension of His kingdom here on earth. We are not to function as the world in being predominantly career minded – that is secondary; our life here is to be primarily governed with the perspective of eternity, to prepare for eternity. We are not ‘destined’ to fulfill such and such an office or calling in life, that is only a means, a part of the journey, but that is how many believers are conditioned to think nowadays – it is all about ‘his’ or ‘her’ ministry and how many followers they can obtain (gifts within the Body are to be functional – they certainly have their needed role, but in their right setting and attitude of humility); no, no – we are to conform to the image of Jesus Christ, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18

‘Finish then Thy new creation,
Pure and spotless may we be;
Let us see our whole salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee;
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love and praise.’

(‘Love Divine, All Loves Excelling’ – Charles Wesley)

We may at times succumb to anxiety when the future seems ambiguous, circumstances take an unfortunate turn, or someone has no choice but to postpone their ambitions or even relinquish them for good. Divine interruptions are not always pleasant at the time, but they can certainly disclose how self-centred we are with our own preoccupations. No matter how endowed we are in a given sphere, that does not necessarily indicate God’s specific calling on our lives. There are countless well known leaders in the history of the church who were more than competent to enter or remain in the field of medicine, diverse arts, professional sport, science and other domains of academia – and they would have proven to have been some of the greatest men and women in those professions, but those ambitions were overridden by a greater Glory; boundless salaries were sacrificed and luxurious living was denied in pursuit of God.

Our reactions to such circumstances that take us by surprise swiftly reveal where our loyalties lie; if our state of existence revolves around ‘our’ ambitions – down we go! But if with God, then Paul’s exhortation finds a resting place in our heart: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). It is in such situations and life’s dilemmas that we are to exhibit a spiritually mature outlook, not an ‘in-look’ where we are inclined to self-pity. A spiritually developed outlook is to recognise and calculate that God indeed works all the present chaos into a harmonious order that overwhelmingly speaks of His flawless wisdom and impeccable timing.

Leave to His sovereign sway
To choose and to command;
So shalt thou wondering own His way,
How wise, how strong His hand.
Far, far above thy thought
His counsel shall appear,
When fully He the work hath wrought
That caused thy needless fear.

(‘Give To the Winds Thy Fears’ – Paul Gerhardt)

Our work, calling or vocation in life is an overflow – not the mainspring – of a life rightly adjusted to God in every department of our lives. Today, we are more inclined to reverse the order, that to be spiritual is to be ‘doing’ all the time. We must get rid of the notion that constant activity is a sign of spiritual advancement. If the devil cannot deter us from in front, he will certainly attempt to drive us to excess from behind; the Holy Spirit leads with an unambiguous and pure certainty that yields the fruit of peace and righteousness. It is not our earthly vocation but our spiritual location that gives central purpose and priority for our existence, that no matter where we are geographically, circumstantially – we are to acknowledge our position in Christ, that indeed we are seated with Him in the heavenly places at this very moment; it is our union with Him, our connection to Him that gives sustenance to our lives, and neither is it our doing for Him as much as our being with Him that is of inestimable value that promotes our growth in grace and then automatically the fruit of works, even when unconscious of doing good because we are so preoccupied with Him (Matthew 25:37-39). When the disciples returned from their mission, exhilarated over the fact they had exercised power and authority over demons, the rebuke came when Jesus taught them how misled their priorities were; their solid ground of rejoicing should rather have been in that their names were known by God and written in heaven (Luke 10).

Our schedule may be disordered and chaotic (situations out of our control), not knowing what is going to take place from one day to the next – and that may well be the way God has ordained it for a duration of time, but what counts above all else is our obedience to Him in everything that reveals the next step; we have no right in asking for further guidance if we are insubordinate in some area to Him. No matter how haphazard our circumstances, the wonder of Christianity is that we can know the God of peace that produces a balm of stillness, order and a liberty within because there is a given assurance that He is leading us through His paths. Better to know a step at a time led by His hand than a path of knowing we have made of our own:

‘Thy way, not mine, O Lord,
However dark it be!
Lead me by Thine own hand,
Choose out the path for me.
 
Smooth let it be, or rough,
It will be still the best;
Winding, or straight, it leads
Right onward to Thy rest.’

(‘Thy Way, Not Mine, O Lord’ – Horatius Bonar)

The will of God for our lives is not confined to the future but is an actuality that takes place in the here and now; are we obeying Him now? Many of us have false notions that the will of God is reserved for the mission field two years from now, or moving into that pastoral role after graduation; the journey, the preparation is just as equally important – if not more so than the destination; we can be presumptuous at times – “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand” (Proverbs 19:21). The foundational years are what prove to be of greatest benefit; not only does God equip us for the task ahead but He also fashions our hearts to His ways. Moses was the man for the mission but he certainly was not ready until after he went through the desert to have all royal self-independence blasted out of him; after that He was God’s prince, not Egypt’s. It was an experience no bible college or seminary could ever teach (if such were to exist in those days), and it is where God’s men are bent, broken, shaped and set apart for His use and His glory alone. Would to God that bible colleges today graduate broken men instead of sending out boys who feel cocksure of themselves; it is impossible for God to make men until first He breaks them!

It is in the breaking that God fashions His men and women after the image of His own Son – changed from glory to glory.

‘The work which His goodness began,
The arm of His strength will complete’

(Augustus Toplady)

It is a holy people – for God Himself – that He will achieve without fail, and it is ‘holy unto the Lord’ that God is working in our beings through all of the ‘ups and downs’ in life; He cares not so much for our happiness as He does for our holiness; He has redeemed us to eternally behold and reflect His glory. “When He appears we shall be like Him…” – we are in the process of being prepared for that glorious occasion, a Reality that is presently incomprehensible to utter, where time will retire and all known dimensions of the cosmos bow before its Maker: we shall see Him for Who He is. Our sanctification is the paramount objective will of God for our lives; it transcends everything – every desire, every aspiration, every ambition, and He will not suffer anything to deprive us of His ultimate best, even though that may cost us everything subordinate in His eyes.

‘Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends, in thy conduct, His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy guide:
And run not before Him whatever betide:
In joy or in sorrow still follow thy Lord,
And looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul;
Each thought and each temper beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit and filled with His love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above’

(‘Take Time To Be Holy’ – Hymn by William Dunn Longstaff)