Sanctification – Page 4

Morning Musing: 2 Peter 1:5-8

February 21, 2018February 19, 2018Leave a comment

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

Do you want to be effective? We all do, don’t we? We want to be able to have an impact on the people and environment around us. Not only that, but we want to do so in a way that will last and have meaning. The question, then, becomes: How do we do this? How can we have an effective impact on our situations? Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Hebrews 12:7

February 7, 2018February 5, 2018Leave a comment

“It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” (ESV – Read the chapter)

Facing hard stuff is something we all have to do at some point in our lives. It may be a little hard. It may be a lot hard. But in a broken world, hard stuff is part of the journey. The only variable here is how we handle the hard. Read the rest…

Morning Musings: Colossians 3:5

December 6, 2017December 5, 2017Leave a comment

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you; sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

This is tough language here. Paul seems to soften a bit a couple of verses later, but that’s just an appearance. This is what Paul really means. When it comes to the fruits of sin in our lives–and they are manifold well beyond the list Paul offers here–it is not enough to put them aside or turn our backs to them or knock them off their perch or anything else like that. We must actively put them to death. We must kill them completely and not allow for even the slightest chance that they will get up again. Read the rest…

Morning Musings: Philippians 1:6

November 10, 2017November 10, 2017Leave a comment

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

This is one of my favorite verses. It speaks of God’s long term intentions with us. When He starts something, He doesn’t ever leave it unfinished. When we give ourselves to Christ, the Holy Spirit begins in us a process by which we will eventually become fully reflective of the image of God in Christ Jesus. Everything He allows to happen to us from that point forward is aimed at that goal. They are aimed at growing in us the character of Christ. They are designed to prune out the dead branches in us in order to make room for the new, live, fruitful branches He has set to growing. Read the rest…

Morning Musings: Ephesians 4:1

October 30, 2017October 30, 2017Leave a comment

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. (ESV – Read the chapter)

For the previous three chapters Paul has been unpacking the incredibly high nature of the calling those who are in Christ have received from Him. It is not just a high calling, but a holy one. Read the rest…