Become a Partner with God

Each day we set aside time for work, meals, entertainment, and sleep. To be spiritually set apart by God is to be sanctified, the process of becoming holy. In Genesis God sanctified the Sabbath day for rest and worship. The nation of Israel was sanctified as God's people to be a model of His love, mercy and forgiveness.

The people were to be partners with God in redeeming all people.  Remember these words from Jesus? "Go to all people everywhere and make them my disciples; baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Teach them everything I taught you." Sanctification continues throughout life.

The process of sanctification includes maturing personally and spiritually by permitting the Holy Spirit to prepare you for the purpose of God, who declares, "I am Jehovah-M’Kaddesh, the Lord who sanctifies you." He has the power to save you, to sanctify you and make you holy, for he is holy. He calls you and sets you apart because he loves you.                            

__________ 

[Paul wrote:] He chose me to be a servant of Christ Jesus for the Gentiles, and to do the work of a priest in the service of his good news. God did this so that the Holy Spirit could make the Gentiles into a holy offering, pleasing to him.

~Romans 15:16 Contemporary English Version  

 

But now since you have been set free from sin and have become willing slaves of God, you have your benefit, resulting in sanctification [being made holy and set apart for God’s purpose], and the outcome of this is eternal life.

~Romans 6:22 Amplified Bible

__________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

Prepared to Serve

Being prepared for a special occasion is a wise choice because it lowers stress to a more manageable level. Preparing for a job interview by reviewing potential questions helps reduce anxiety. Knowing how to dress appropriately helps present a favorable first impression. Taking time to rest and sleep is critical to preparation.

God taught the Hebrew people how to consecrate themselves for worship by coming into his presence with a clean heart. Listen to Leviticus 20:8: “Consecrate yourselves and be holy because I am the Lord your God." Consecration includes being committed to God for the purpose of meeting him in worship.

God desires to give you faith so his work of sanctification can set you apart for the purpose he specifically designed for you. God clearly communicates that he is Jehovah-M’Kaddesh, the Lord who sanctifies.  This means to be made clean, forgiven, and dedicated to a new life in Jesus Christ.                            

___________ 

With eyes open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers [and sisters], as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him.

~Romans 12:1 Phillips – New Testament in Modern English 

___________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

Set Apart for Holy Service

When I was an older adolescent visiting friends, I noticed their mother seemed happy and joyful. When I inquired about her joyfulness, she informed me she had received salvation by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior and that she was returning to church that evening to receive sanctification.

As I listened, she explained to me that sanctification means to be set apart in holy service for Jesus Christ. She and others who had received salvation were to be dedicated and consecrated permanently to Christ. She believed an inward transformation created by the Holy Spirit had resulted in a newness of life that would replace her old sinful self.

Another name for God is Jehovah-M’Kaddesh, “the Lord God who sanctifies" and makes you righteous and holy for now and all eternity. Whether it's an instant transformation or one that gradually takes place, it's important to remember the Holy Spirit sets you apart for a new life in Christ Jesus. Thanks be to God!                       

___________ 

May the God of peace make you holy through and through, until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is utterly faithful and he will finish what he has set out to do.

~1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 Phillips – New Testament in Modern English

___________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.