Daily Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3-4
Scripture Focus: So that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father. (1 Thessalonians 3.13)
Devotional Thought: Jesus wants to establish your heart. He wants you to be blameless and holy. He wants you to stand without fear before our God and Father. Those are lofty goals!
Having an established heart means loving God with a pure and steadfast love. Jesus said we cannot serve two gods. There is so much to draw our love away from God, but God is able to give us grace to say no to sin and to love him with a pure heart. Do you love God in that way - with all your heart and soul and mind and strength?
Being blameless is a little trickier. It does not mean perfect performance, rather it means that you do not intend to sin. You may slip into sin, you may be surprised by sin, you may ignorantly or mistakenly sin, but you would never think of purposefully sinning. And, if anyone does sin, we immediately confess and are forgiven because we have an advocate with the Father. The blood of Jesus atones for sins of ignorance and we are held blameless. Are you blameless, or do you try to 'get away with' sin, presuming upon the grace of Jesus?
Holiness is the highest order of Christian experience. The call to holiness is a call to being completely set apart for God's use and to be purified from all sin - even the deepest inbred sin. There is an experience of heart holiness in which the believer is sanctified wholly, the carnal nature is purged, and the entire being is devoted to God. Are you living in holiness?
Established. Blameless. Holy. Then, and only then, are we able to stand before our God and Father. And it's all by the grace of Jesus!
Prayer: Father, I long to walk with you in the highest order of Christian experience. Establish me blameless and holy. I consecrate myself to you completely. Amen.
Psalm of the Day: 14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." 15 My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! 16 Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! 17 O LORD, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol. 18 Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt. (Psalms 31:14-18)
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