Others Will Be Sanctified Because God is Good and We are Grateful

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:4

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;

Insights: Just like with the negative qualities of those that turn away, there are four things which help us become sanctified by God’s grace.  The first thing is we are sanctified because God Himself is good.  Now in the verse it says that everything God created is good.  The reason I state that God is good and that is a part of the sanctifying process is because the reason the created thing is good is because God is the Creator.  In other words, creation is not good in and of itself.  The thing that makes creation good is that a good God created it.  The life transforming power of Christ in us is His work in our lives.  If one is born again, the reason they are good is because God is good.  The reason they are holy is because God’s holiness is manifested in their lives.  The reason they are righteous is because God’s righteousness is imputed into their lives.  The more we are sanctified, then the more of Christ Jesus is evident in our lives.  The second aspect of our sanctification is our gratitude.  Again, because of God’s work in us we are grateful for His work in our lives.  As we express this gratitude what we find is we are humbled in the process.  Because of this humbling work we recognize that all of our goodness is based on His work; and therefore, we begin to live sacrificial lives to express our gratitude for His goodness.  This sacrificial expression of gratitude ought to be expressed in every aspect of our lives, but one of the most evident areas that show our gratitude is our money.  In other words, the more we are sanctified the more we want to give because in our giving we are expressing our gratitude.  So, on Sunday, I made a plug for our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering as an example of one way to express your gratitude for the Lord’s saving work in your life.  Let me encourage you to give to this offering in order to support our international mission efforts through the Southern Baptist Convention and specifically the International Missions Board.  We as a church have set a good goal, let us all give with grateful hearts and let’s watch God bring salvation to the world through His good work.

Questions:

1.  Have you experienced the goodness of God?

2.  In what ways have you displayed your gratitude to the Lord?

Prayer: Father, thank You for working in my life.  Thank You for guiding me through the process of sanctification.  Your goodness makes every aspect, even the difficult times, pleasurable in You.  Thank You for never leaving me nor forsaking me.  Your love is amazing.  Amen.