Sanctification (part three)

Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3

Sanctification does not result in a static state. What I mean is, when you experience growth in Christlikeness you are not locked in at that level. Sanctification is dynamic. We can regress as well as progress. Paul urges us to “do so more and more.” We are never standing still. There might be times in which our progress or decline might be slow, but we are not going one way or the other. We are always moving forward or backward, up or down.

For most of our lives, we are doing some of both. There are times when we are progressing and times when we are going backward. The trend line for the Christian should be forward and upward. There may be dips and downward moments, but the overall trend, year-over-year, is up.

The fact our sanctification is “the will of God,” is a hopeful, faith-inspiring truth. God is on your side when it comes to becoming more and more like Christ. God is for your spiritual development. It is His will. He is on your side in your battles against the world, the flesh, and the devil. He is providing the power, the providences, and the wisdom to overcome and to change. He is giving you the grace to grow.

By faith, receive and act on God’s will to “do so more and more.”