20 Dec January 26th Daily Devotion

A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON PAUL’S FIRST LETTER TO THE  CHURCH AT THESSALONICA

LIVING MORE AND MORE FOR THE LORD

1 Thessalonians 4:1 “As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.”

How quickly you can become distracted from living your life to please God.  Whether the simple activities that fill each day or some major life challenge, Satan has a way of diverting your heart and mind away from your faith and trust in the Lord to something else.  You can begin a day determined that you will live your life to the glory of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and by the end of the day Jesus is no longer in your thoughts at all.   It happens to all of us.

The words of today’s devotional verse are important words of encouragement for you to live your life more and more to please God.  Living your life more and more to please God is not to earn your way into heaven.  Jesus has done that for you.  No, living more and more to please God is as theologians say, your life of sanctification.

What then is your life of sanctification?  Your life of sanctification is the Holy Spirit, like a sculptor, forming and shaping your life every day to be Christlike.  He does this first through the power of your baptism through which daily the Old sinful Adam is drowned and dies and your new life in Christ arises.  Leopoldo Sanchez writes, Sanctification is a continuous return to our Baptism in Christ, a participation by grace in Christ’s death and resurrection, until the Spirit ‘may finally make us perfectly and forever holy’ at (our) resurrection.”  (Large Catechism, page 428)

In the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctifying you, He unites you to Christ in your fight against all evil.  He drives you to God’s word for comfort in God’s promises especially during times of challenges to your faith.  And,  Sanchez says, “the Holy Spirit unites you with Christ in His sacrificial service for others . . . you become a little Christ to others.”

Prayer:  Holy Spirit, keep me in the true faith to life everlasting.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

O Holy Spirit, grant us grace That we our Lord and Savior

In faith and fervent love embrace And truly serve Him ever.

The hour of death cannot bring loss

When we are sheltered by the cross

That canceled our transgressions.

Help us that we Thy saving Word In faithful hearts may treasure;

Let e’er that Bread of Life afford New grace in richest measure,

O make us die to ev’ry sin, Each day create new life within,

That fruits of faith may flourish.

And when our earthly race is run, Death’s bitter hour impending,

Then may Thy work in us begun Continue till life’s ending,

Until we gladly may commend Our souls into our Savior’s hand,

The crown of life obtaining.

(LSB 693)