Sanctification

1Thessalonians 5:14  And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. 15  See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. 16  Rejoice always,17  pray without ceasing,18  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19  Do not quench the Spirit. 20  Do not despise the words of prophets, 21  but test everything; hold fast to what is good; 22  abstain from every form of evil. 23  May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this. 25  Beloved, pray for us. 26  Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. 27  I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all of them. 28  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

The Christian life is not solitary. It is best lived in community where we share the other person’s joy and sorrow: “admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all”.  It is when we allow others to hold us accountable for our actions that we realise our potential to become Christ-like, or what Paul calls ‘entirely sanctified’.

Ordinary 33 / Pentecost +26

55 See...Judge...Act

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 335.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.