Friday, August 28, 2009

New Strings and Sanctification

My mandolin was restrung with new D'Addario strings last week. Last evening as the country/bluegrass band I play with once a week (and gig with once in a while) got together, the new strings finally were stretched enough and today they sound really great. My Morgan Monroe mando sounds better and better the more I play it. The molecules that make it up must be getting aligned just right.

This week I'm preaching from Paul's Letter to the Philippians 2:12-13 where he writes that we're to obey and work "out" our salvation with fear and trembling (v. 12) . Then in v. 13 he says that God is at work in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Amazing truths, right? Just think, God is at work in you if you're a believer in Jesus Christ.

We're to work "out" our salvation (not work "for") by obedience to God's word. And then at the same time we're to remember that God is at work in us willing for His pleasure our growing Christlikeness. In other words, God keeps putting new strings on us. He keeps restringing us and we sound better and better each day for His glory (1 Cor. 10:31). The process of us working "out" and God working "in" us is called sanctification and means holy and set apart.

Thank the Lord today that He doesn't leave us alone in our spiritual growth, but is actively involved in the process called sanctification. Thank Him for the new strings.

Dan

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