Dear friend, as it says in I Thessalonians 5:23, may the Lord bless you richly. The Bible declares, “May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is the desire of many of us, isn’t it? We long to live a holy life in this wicked world.

As I Thessalonians 4:7 reminds us, “God has called us not to impurity but to holiness.” God Himself says, “As I am holy, you be holy.” His desire is to transform us into His image so that we may become like Him, a holy people. Yet, we cannot make ourselves holy on our own. Hebrews 7:25 assures us that God intercedes for us so that we can be made complete. Jesus Himself prays for our holiness. How did Jesus pray? In John 17:17, He said, “Sanctify them in the truth.” We are sanctified through the Word of God. Then, in verse 19, He adds, “For their sake I sanctify Myself so that they also may be sanctified in truth.” What a loving Savior we have! He not only prays for us but sanctifies Himself for our sake. Because of His sacrifice on the cross, we are made holy.

Sanctification is also the work of the Holy Spirit. II Corinthians 3:3 teaches us, “By the power of the Holy Spirit, we become holy.” Similarly, I Corinthians 6:11 emphasises that “The work of sanctification is done by the Holy Spirit.” Furthermore, II Thessalonians 3:3 says, “The Lord will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” After He sanctifies us, He establishes us and protects us from the enemy. Sanctification is a process, much like the work of a diligent gardener. God is the best gardener of all. A gardener carefully removes sucker shoots that drain the plant’s energy. In the same way, the Lord removes certain things from our lives that sap our strength. Though the pruning process can be painful, it ultimately benefits us. God does this so that we may be sanctified completely, becoming whole and complete in Him.

Job understood this process when he said in Job 23:10, “The Lord knows the way I take. When He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” Just as gold must endure many refining processes to become pure, God refines us so that we can stand before Him, blameless. He purifies not just our spirit but our soul and body as a whole. May the Lord, our faithful gardener, sanctify you fully and make you holy, even now, dear friend.

PRAYER: 
Dear Lord, I come before You with my heart open to Your transforming grace. Sanctify my spirit, soul, and body so that I can stand blameless at Your coming. Thank You for Your precious Word, which sanctifies me in truth, and for my Saviour Jesus, who sacrificed Himself on the cross and still prays for my holiness. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, continue to refine me like gold, removing all that hinders my walk with You. Strengthen me in the process and establish me in Your ways. Please guard me against the evil one and help me to reflect Your holiness and become more like You every day. I trust You as my perfect Gardener, working tirelessly to make me whole. With gratitude, I surrender to Your sanctifying love. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.