He Will Do It, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

"May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it."

     I don't know about you, but when I read verses that talk about sanctification, although I know it is the Lord who sanctifies us, I somehow get it into my mind that I have to somehow speed along this process. I want to be sanctified through and through. I want to be blameless at the appearing of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So shouldn't I try to do so more and more?
     The Bible says no. It is not our job to sanctify ourselves. The Bible says that God is the One who will do it (vs.24), and He is faithful to do it. He who started a work will be faithful to complete it in you.

     So what does this mean for us practically? It means that we don't have to strive and struggle, push and stress for perfection. Yes, the Bible teaches that we should be sanctified. Yes, the Bible says, "be therefore perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect". But the Bible never states that it is our responsibility to mold ourselves into the likeness of Jesus.
     If we were even able to accomplish such a feet, Jesus would have died in vain, for men could, if willing, become perfect on their own. Not everyone would need a savior, only the weak and feeble. But we cannot make ourselves perfect any more than we could make ourselves taller or shorter, older or younger. Only God can do this.

     It is our responsibility, however, to want to be sanctified, to be molded into the likeness of Christ. We need to be willing to let the Holy Spirit work in our lives, and we have to be obedient to what the Lord may tell us regarding certain issues in our lives. Sanctification is performed by God, but if you are unwilling to change and you harden your heart, you won't get very far!