Sanctify Them

Daily Reading: John 17

They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.  Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.  As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.  For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. (John 17.16-19, NIV)

Devotional Thought: The three sections in John 17 are all part of a single prayer of Jesus.  In the first part, Jesus prays for himself.  In the last part, he prays for people who would come to believe in him in the future.  But it is the second part of his prayer that caught my attention today, when he prayed for his disciples to be sanctified:

For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified:  Because Jesus sanctified himself - i.e., consecrated himself to God's purpose - he is qualified to sanctify us. "In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.  Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family" (Hebrews 2.10-11, NIV).

They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.  Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.  Because we belong to God and not the world, he sanctifies us through the Word.  We live in light of his promise given in Ezekiel 36.26, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you."

Let us consecrate our bodies, hearts, minds, and spirits unto the Lord and his purposes, presenting our "bodies as a living sacrifice, holy [sanctified] and acceptable to God" (Romans 12.1) and our "members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification" (Romans 6.19).  

Jenny Wade

Prayer: Sanctify me, O Lord, by your truth.  Your word is truth.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 39.1-6

1 I said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence. ”

2 I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse.

3 My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:

4 “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!

5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah

6 Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!