“May… the God of peace sanctify you…. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:24
Today we return to Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians and dwell on his closing words of benediction.
It’s easy to grow discouraged with our progress in the Christian faith. Because our calling in Christ is so high and the obstacles we face are so many, sometimes the “crown of life” seems unachievable. “Indeed,” wrote John Calvin, “most of us are so oppressed with weakness that we make little progress—staggering, limping, and crawling on the ground.”
The good news is that even as we are staggering, limping, and crawling, the Lord is carrying us through. You may want to soar—and one day you will!—but you can be grateful now that you’re alive and that each step of your sanctification is ordained by Him.
The life believers have—with its love for Christ, its struggle against sin, its desire for holy fellowship—is life from God. Remember, it is He who calls us into His “kingdom and glory” (2:12); it is His Word “which is at work in you” (2:14). And because He is perfectly faithful, God will surely finish what He started.
It’s easy to grow discouraged with our progress in the Christian faith. Because our calling in Christ is so high and the obstacles we face are so many, sometimes the “crown of life” seems unachievable. “Indeed,” wrote John Calvin, “most of us are so oppressed with weakness that we make little progress—staggering, limping, and crawling on the ground.”
The good news is that even as we are staggering, limping, and crawling, the Lord is carrying us through. You may want to soar—and one day you will!—but you can be grateful now that you’re alive and that each step of your sanctification is ordained by Him.
The life believers have—with its love for Christ, its struggle against sin, its desire for holy fellowship—is life from God. Remember, it is He who calls us into His “kingdom and glory” (2:12); it is His Word “which is at work in you” (2:14). And because He is perfectly faithful, God will surely finish what He started.
Scripture Focus
1 Thessalonians 5:19-28
Insight
“His strength is perfect when our strength is gone./ He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on.” (Steven Curtis Chapman, 1988)
Bible In A Year
- 1 Chronicles 12-13
- Proverbs 30
- Revelation 15-17
