March 15, 2023

For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.” Hebrews 2:11-12

Can you hear the Savior singing praise to our heavenly Father because of His joy over us? It is the Savior who invests His efforts into our character development. Yes, our characters need to be developed and refined. And yes, it is our human failures that have ushered sin and misery into the world. But Christ can look upon the sadness that envelops the world and see beyond the sin and misery which is soon to end. In His infinite love and wisdom, He sees the marvelous possibilities in the heart of each man, woman, and child who is surrendered to Him.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

Christ came to save each of us from the eternal death sentence that we are under (Romans 5:12) in order to give each of us eternal life instead (see John 5:24, 10:28; 11:25, 26).

But how does He do it?

The “how” of saving sinners is the process of separating sinners from sin, that awful thing that causes death. But sin seems to cling to us—or is it that we cling to sin? Due to our fallen nature, we possess a stubborn reluctance to change. This is rooted in Satan’s power to deceive us and keep us under his influence.

However, it is essential that I learn to let go of anything that weakens the purposes of God in my life. I must cooperate with the lifesaving process. The Lord knows that I am no match for the cunning and craftiness of our archenemy. Therefore He supplies His sanctifying grace, just when I need it. It is a myth that grace can be “stored up” in our possession, like so many nuts that a squirrel puts away before winter. No! Grace is divine aid that is supplied in the moment of need. It is divine power that accompanies an act of my will to resist the devil.

We must remember that our Lord sees the marvelous possibilities . . . let us listen together! Is that singing we hear?

The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17