The God of peace
Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful. Dear brothers and sisters, pray for us. Greet all the brothers and sisters with a sacred kiss. I command you in the name of the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers and sisters. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 ESV
The power that will help us to live godly lives is made available through the indwelling presence of God. Christianity is not about gritting your teeth way of working out your best, but a surrender to the God of peace. We are not left on our own for God is with us to equip us and transform us. It is by His working in us that we are able to live for His glory and stand even on the Day of Judgment. God obtained for us the peace that surpasses all understanding through His redeeming grace shown at the cross. Now that He has obtained for us our salvation, He does not want us to fall short of His righteousness, consequently, He provides us the means for us to be sanctified. He will help us to be “holy in every way” so that when He appears, we will be “kept blameless.” This is why Paul calls on believers to fully submit themselves to God. God alone “is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault” (Jude 24). Paul is not talking about sinless perfection but having a total trust to God and His character. Reliance is not upon our feeble strength but on the faithfulness of God who holds us firmly. “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). This is why our hope in Him will not be in vain. With what God is doing in us and through us will provide us the joy to follow, serve, and obey Him. God is the one responsible for the final outcome and all He wants from us is to be faithful. “May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God” (Philippians 1:6).
Blessings,
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