The prophet Isaiah says of the Lord, “We are the clay and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8). Comparing God to a skilled craftsman, Isaiah describes how He shapes believers so they increasingly resemble the Savior. Some of the tools our Father uses to mold and perfect His creations are ...
• The Bible. Jesus prayed for us, saying, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17). As the Holy Spirit illuminates what we read, we’re slowly transformed.
• The church. As part of Christ’s body, we learn of God’s ways from the pastor and teachers who have been called to minister. Fellowship with one another is also a method the Lord uses in our sanctification as we encourage and hold each other accountable.
• Suffering. Painful circumstances teach us submission, humility, and dependence on God so we can emerge from the difficulty with deeper faith, greater spiritual maturity, and refined character.
The Lord is forming us into vessels that honor and reflect Him. Are you yielding to His shaping tools?
The Lord has a grand plan for the life of every believer, and it can be summed up in the term we looked at yesterday: sanctification. This refers to the process by which something is made holy—in other words, separated from its former common usage and dedicated to God for His purposes.
Every person is born spiritually dead and an enemy of God (Ephesians 2:1; Romans 5:10). But the moment we trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, our sins are wiped away, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us, and we’re adopted into God’s family. From that moment on, we are set apart as God’s children for His sacred purposes.
This means we are here on earth not to chase after pleasure and personal gain but to serve and obey the Lord. And in so doing, we bring Him honor and glory. As members of God’s family, we are called to reflect Christ’s character. The Lord now calls us saints—a term that shares its root with sanctification—not because we live sinlessly, but because that’s our position in Christ and should be our practice as well. No longer are we to give ourselves to sin; instead, we should present ourselves to God as slaves of obedience.
When a person places faith in Jesus Christ and becomes a believer, he is sanctified—that is, set apart for God’s purpose. Unlike salvation, which takes place in a single moment, sanctification is a lifelong process. As the Word of God and the Holy Spirit work in our life, we are being sanctified. In other words, we’re progressively maturing in our faith.
In Romans 8:29, the apostle Paul explained God’s purpose for believers: “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.” Our character, conduct, and conversation should be reflections of Christ. On our own, we’d place too much emphasis on behavior and get caught up with following rules and rituals that look Christian without truly reflecting Jesus. Thankfully, we have been given the Holy Spirit, who works through God’s Word to renew our mind. But we must cooperate in the sanctification process by filling our mind with Scripture.
You’ll never be perfect this side of heaven, but the Lord shows you how to think and act so you can “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1).
To get the most out of this devotion, set aside time to read the scriptures referenced throughout.
We’re currently enjoying the warm, seemingly endless days of summer, but this season isn’t all sunshine and beauty. It’s also known for severe storms that bring lightning, thunder, and heavy rainfall. When they pop up, isn’t it wonderful to be able to run into a dry, comfortable shelter and be protected until the sun begins shining again?
Life is like that, too, sometimes. All is well until, suddenly and often without warning, difficulties arise. Our lives are full of “storms” of one kind or another. Regardless of what caused them, there’s seldom much we can do to stop them from running their course. All we can control is how we respond moving forward. Rather than face these troubles alone, we run to our heavenly Father, the One who deeply loves and cares for us—and waits with open arms. (See Proverbs 18:24; 1 Peter 5:6-7; 1 John 3:1; Revelation 3:20.)
Think about it
- How would you describe your relationship with God? Does He feel distant or is He close, like a loving friend ready to listen? Spend some time in prayer this week, asking God to help you sense just how near He is.
If we hope to resist the Enemy’s schemes, it is important to clear up any confusion regarding salvation. So let’s consider three crucial steps of the conversion process.
1. We must know something. The first step is that we must grasp what our condition was, apart from the Savior. Ephesians 2:1 makes it clear that, left to ourselves, we were all spiritually dead. Without the sacrifice of Jesus, there wouldn’t be eternal life for anyone.
2. We must believe something. The good news is that God provided a means of salvation that is open to all people. Scripture explains that our loving heavenly Father, of His own initiative, made a way for our sin debt to be paid so we could dwell with Him forever (Ephesians 2:4-9).
3. We must receive something. In order to claim any gift, we must first open our hands and receive it. The Father is reaching out to mankind, offering His free gift of salvation. Once we have taken it, it is ours to keep—forever (Romans 10:8-13).
Are you a believer who is empowered by God’s Spirit and completely confident about salvation? Then you are a force to be reckoned with! If you have known, believed, and received God’s gift of salvation, you can stand in full assurance today.
