20 Jan February 19th Daily Devotion

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

GOD SANCTIFIES YOU

1 Thessalonians 5:23 “May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Small Catechism says that the work of the Holy Spirit is to “sanctify you (make you holy) by brining you to faith in Christ, so that (you) might have the blessings of redemption and lead a godly life.” (page 149)  This work of the Holy Spirit is critical because, The Small Catechism explains, you were conceived and born “spiritually blind, dead, and an enemy of God. . .you cannot by your own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ. . .or come to Him.” (page 150) The Holy Spirit therefore “. . . calls you by the Gospel, invites and draws you by that Gospel, to partake of the spiritual blessings that are yours in Christ Jesus.” (page 150) “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3)

The Holy Spirit has great power to bring you to faith in Jesus and then maintain that faith in your heart.  On Pentecost, through the preaching of Jesus’ Disciples, 3,000 people came to faith.  Yet, normally the Holy Spirit works in the heart of one person at a time such as He did in the heart of the jailer of Philippi.  However, even then, once the jailer came to faith, the Holy Spirit touched his heart to invite Peter to his home where his entire household was baptized.

The Holy Spirit, once He brings you to faith in Jesus, keeps you in that faith through your hearing the Gospel, daily remembering your baptism and through your reception of the Lord’s Supper.  These are God’s given means through which the Holy Spirit carries out His work of sanctification.

“May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Prayer:  Thanks and praise to You, Holy Spirit for bringing me to faith in Jesus and keeping me in that faith.  Amen.

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,

And make our hearts Your place of rest;

Come with Your grace and heav’ly aid,

And fill the hearts which You have made.

To You, the Counselor, we cry,

To You, the gift of God Most High;

The fount of life, the fire of love,

The soul’s anointing from above.

In You, with graces sevenfold,

We God’s almighty hand behold

While You with tongues of fire proclaim

To all the world His holy name.

Your light to ev’ry thought impart,

And shed Your love in ev’ry heart;

The weakness of our mortal state

With deathless might invigorate.

Drive far away our wily foe,

And Your abiding peace bestow;

With You as our protecting guide,

No evil can with us abide.

Teach us to know the Father, Son,

And You, from both, as Three in One

That we Your name may ever bless

And in our lives the truth confess.

Praise we the Father and the Won

And Holy Spirit, with them One,

And may the Son on us bestow

The gifts that from the Spirit flow!

(LSB 499)