I pray every day that God can use me where He needs me to be. I pray for encounters where I can share His love with others. I look for ways to learn more about Him and to share what I learn, whether through relationships, reading scripture and other authors’ works, or by writing myself. All of these are measures of sanctification.
I hear so often that we cannot earn our way to heaven, that works-based service is not honorable, or that pride guides us to measure our service. I’d rather think of our attempts at sanctification as thanksliving, as being so thankful for God’s love that we can do nothing else but serve Him and His causes–that we are blessed to be a blessing.
I hope this poem blesses your day and your travels through this life.
MY PSALM 322 SANCTIFICATION
Almighty, Holy, Merciful, Omniscient Father,
We come to You this day in humility
Asking for Your grace and mercy and guidance
That we might become worthy
Of the calling of Jesus Christ.
We know we are considered righteous
Because of His perfect sacrifice,
Yet we long to come closer to Your expectation
Of holiness and purity for His sake.
We fail so miserably when we try to walk the walk.
Even when we do the right things,
Or say the right things,
Or study Your Word,
Or serve Your people,
Or faithfully pray,
Or tithe,
Or try to love others as ourselves,
We fail repeatedly.
Our motives are foul.
Our attitudes give us away
As the sinners we still are
Despite our best efforts.
We confess our inadequacy.
We once more come to You
Begging for forgiveness and cleansing.
While we long for sanctification
Our feet are clay, our tongues betray us,
Our path is not straight
And we feel inadequate.
However, in reading Your Scriptures,
We discover Your mercy and grace,
That You can use even the vilest,
The least likely one,
Those like me
To spread Your gospel
To witness to Your power and love,
And to further Your Kingdom on earth
We pray this day for You to use us,
Weak as we are, yet devoted to You,
To become part of Your cloud of witnesses
To others who struggle as we do.
And we are abundantly thankful
That Jesus paid the price for us all
And declared me too, even me,
Righteous in Your sight. Amen
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