Marks of True Sanctification

[Daily Devotional]

Marks of True Sanctification 

     And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your
whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thess. 5:23.  

     The work of sanctification begins in the heart, and we must come
into such a relation with God that Jesus can put His divine mold upon
us. We must be emptied of self in order to give room to Jesus, but how
many have their hearts so filled with idols that they have no room for
the Redeemer of the world. The world holds the hearts of men in
captivity. They center their thoughts and affections upon their
business, their position, their family. They hold to their opinions and
ways, and cherish them as idols in the soul. . . . We must be emptied of
self. But this is not all that is required, for when we have renounced
our idols, the vacuum must be supplied. . . .  

     As you empty the heart of self you must accept the righteousness of
Christ. Lay hold of it by faith. . . . If you open the door of the
heart, Jesus will supply the vacuum by the gift of His Spirit, and then
you can be a living preacher in your home, in the church, and in the
world. You can diffuse light, because the bright beams of the Sun of
Righteousness are shining upon you. Your humble life, your holy
conversation, your uprightness and integrity, will tell to all around
that you are a child of God, an heir of heaven, that you are not making
the world your dwelling place, but that you are a pilgrim and a stranger
here, looking for a better country, even an heavenly. . . .  

     In order to keep the world in its proper subordination it is
necessary to have more than a mere casual, nominal faith in Christ. Many
might give assent to the fact that Jesus was the Son of God and yet fail
to have saving faith. Jesus must be all in all to the soul. You must
believe in Him as your personal and complete Saviour.  

     True sanctification will be evidenced by a conscientious regard for
all the commandments of God, by a careful improvement of every talent,
by a circumspect conversation, by revealing in every act the meekness of
Christ.  

>From That I May Know Him - Page 165