Monday May 9, 2022

Today is Monday, May 9th and this week we are exploring being sanctified in God’s truth.

As I enter this time of prayer, I pause to become still. I calm my thoughts and silence my mind as I focus on the God who loves me.

Pause and Pray

Holy Lord God, here I am. I long to spend time with you and know you more. Give me an awareness of your presence now and through the rest of my day by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

I rejoice in God’s goodness with the words of Psalm 118.

You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Psalm 118:28-29

Pause and Pray

Jesus shares one last meal with his disciples before he is betrayed and arrested. In these last moments with them, he continues to teach them, tells them details about where he is going, and warns them about further persecution. He promises not to leave them, but that the Holy Spirit would be with them. Jesus knew what was coming and did not want the disciples to lose hope. At the conclusion of this time of instruction, Jesus prayed to his father for himself, his disciples, and future believers.

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. John 17:14-19

Although Jesus prayed this prayer over two-thousand years ago, he was praying for his followers today. Jesus prayed this for me. He knew I would be in a culture where I would be tempted and persecuted in the same ways he was. Yet, I can press on confidently knowing that he did not leave me on my own. I have already been saved by my faith in Jesus Christ, but Jesus also wanted me to grow in holiness. He prayed that I may be sanctified by truth; set apart from the rest of the world. God reveals this sanctifying truth to me by the power of the Holy Spirit through scripture. The image of God in me that was once tarnished by sin is being restored as I abide in and adhere to God’s Word.

Ask: What is something I’m being faced with that does not follow God’s commands? What practices and values do I have that are inspired by scripture and are different from the world around me?

Pause and Pray

God, thank you going before me so that you know what I encounter in this world. Thank you for your protection from the evil one and for never leaving me. Your Word is a gift that I cherish and want to know more intimately. As I read it, help me hold fast to the teachings of Jesus so that I may become more like him. I reread the words from John and seek your message for me today.

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. John 17:14-19

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

This passage, a precious prayer from Jesus over me as he nears the end of his life speaks to God and also into my life. God is inviting me to move on in my journey toward holiness. What action does he want me to take in light of this scripture?

Pause and Pray

Come, Holy Spirit, enable me to live according to the truth of God’s Word in a world that makes its own standards. Protect me, sanctify me, and help me to live like Jesus. Amen.

Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.
Psalm 119:105

As I leave this time of prayer, I go seeking to be set apart from the world by knowing and living in accordance with God’s True Word.

Amen