Completely Involved
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23
My early walk with the Lord was “one-dimensional,” meaning that it was only a physical involvement. One might call this “lip service.” My “walk” consisted of going to church, reading the verses I was told to read, singing hymns and songs I was told to sing. My emotions and mind were uninvolved. I had no depth. Most of us could say we would go to any “length” for the Lord, or we would climb the “highest” mountain for the Lord. But what we often lack is “depth” of devotion.
We are created in “3-D”: spirit, soul, and body. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We, who are made in Godʼs image, have physical, emotional, and spiritual elements. This verse tells us that God is working to completely sanctify us; our spirit, our soul, and our body will be preserved blameless for the day of Christʼs coming.
Sanctification is the cultivation of holiness. God sanctifies our physical body. God sanctifies our emotions. God sanctifies our spirit.
We are called to work out that sanctification in the way we live our lives. “Our body, our emotions, our mind, and our spirit must all be yielded to the will of God.”*
Some of us may be involved in body only, going through the motions of church attendance, rote prayers, singing songs, and casual Bible reading. Others of us may find that only our mind is involved, and not our heart. We may think about God and His Word, but we are unchanged. Our will does not respond.
Some of us may have a very emotional response to Jesus, but it is all tears or laughter with no real commitment, no follow-through. Our life has not been changed.
It has always been Godʼs intent for us to be fully involved in relationship with Him. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). This is 3-D. We are to be fully yielded to Him in every area. Hold nothing back from Him. He wants and deserves it all—He paid for us, after all!
Father, would You break through to our understanding about anything we have closed off from You. We desire to worship You in the inward places of our heart, mind, and body. May we be fully engaged with You, holding nothing back. In Jesusʼ Name, Amen.
I prayed this prayer for me to engage fully in our Lord and Savior.
3D,Dolby sound, technicolor! All in!