“And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” – Hebrews 10:10

Who’s that “we”? Everyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ.

What does it mean to be sanctified? To be made clean, holy, sacred, and set apart for God. To have our sins washed away, our guilt wiped out, our shame erased forever. To be set apart from this ugly and fallen world for the holy purposes of God. To be made like Christ Himself.

How does this miracle happen to us? Not by our own efforts!!! Not by our own self-discipline, rule-following, moralizing, or virtue! We are sanctified by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. In His atoning death and resurrection, we are made holy forever. Not because of anything we do, but because of what He already did for us.

This is the good news of the Gospel: we aren’t responsible for saving ourselves. We aren’t in some tenuous position of holiness before God trying to hold on by our fingertips and hard work. The hard work was already done for us so that in us, God sees only His Son.

We don’t need to exhaust ourselves trying to saves ourselves or feeling guilty because we aren’t good enough. Of course we aren’t! But Jesus is!

Once we embrace this truth, really believing it deep in our hearts, it sets us free. It sets us free to actually live the holiness we already have in Christ. It sets us free to pursue increasing personal holiness out of love and gratitude for the holiness we’ve received as the free gift of God by grace through faith. We’re set free and empowered to live the truth of what we already are and that’s a beautiful thing!

“Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols.” – Ezekiel 14:4-5

Idols aren’t just funny little statues we bow down to. The idols of our hearts are those elements of our lives and worlds that functionally rule over us. We love to make idols in our hearts! They can be very good things that we take too far. These are the things that delight us enormously to contemplate or possess or that fill us with dread, fear, or rage when we fear we might lose them.

An idol can be anything that functionally takes priority over God in our heart. Idols are the things that keep us from worshiping God or worshiping enough. They are those things which always seem to take priority over God in our lives – that crowd out reading the Bible or praying or worshiping or gathering with other Christians. Our careers can become our idols. Our kids’ athletic or academic achievements can become our idols. Our comfort and peace can become our idols. Our health and safety can become our idols. Our politics, politicians, and leaders can become our idols. Our pleasures (sex, addictions, entertainment) can become idols. Our financial status, 401(k) balance, or cash in our pocket can become our idols. Our cars, houses, and gadgets can become our idols. And the list goes on.

God wants all of your heart. Jesus said to, “Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul and with ALL your mind.” There can be no place for idols in our hearts. However, even as followers of Christ, we keep setting up new idols! We must recognize them for what they are and take them off the throne of our hearts. We must let God reign in our lives over any and everything else we value. Period.

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.“ – Hebrews 7:25

What a comfort!!! Jesus ALWAYS lives to intercede with us before God. Jesus is ALWAYS on the job! If we approach God through faith in Jesus Christ, Jesus always represents us before the Lord. When we trust in Jesus, His perfect righteousness is always credited to us and God sees Him in us.

Jesus is completely able to save us “to the uttermost”! As long as he or she draws breath, no person is ever so far gone that Jesus cannot and will not save them! This is why 1 John 1:9 promises, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” ALL of it. ALL.

So if you feel lost, distant, or in conflict with God, embrace Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, confess what you have done wrong and ask God’s forgiveness. Then know, with 100% certainty, that He Has completely forgiven you!

“Great peace have those who love your law;
nothing can make them stumble.”
– Psalm 119:165

Looking for a little peace today??? These are unsettled and unsettling times, so that’s certainly understandable!!! If you’re looking for peace don’t bother looking to politics, wealth, comfort, work, or pleasure. News, information, and the echo chamber of social media won’t give you peace, either. These may provide a temporary illusion of peace, but it won’t last. These things come and go.

True peace can only be found in God. Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead to make peace through the cross. He alone is our shalom peace. Fall in love with Him. Delight in Him. Spend time with Him. Experience peace in Him despite whatever is happening in the world.

Meet Him in His Word, the Bible. Get to know Him through His Word. Fall more deeply in love with Him because of His Word. Listen for His voice in His Word. Find your identity and anchor in Christ alone. Grow in that identity, strength, stability, and peace through an every-day passion for the Bible.

“Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.”
– Proverbs 27:1

We’re definitely feeling the truth of this verse today! We really don’t know what this day may bring or what tomorrow might be like. Or the day after tomorrow. Or the day after that. As followers of Jesus, let us neither boast about nor be anxious about tomorrow.

Instead, let us trust in God Who is sovereign over all things (Revelation 4:11). Let us trust that God will work all things together for good for those called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Let us trust that God brings eternal good out of the darkest of times. Let us trust that while He causes nations to rise and fall (Job 12:23), the gates of Hell will not prevail against His church (Matthew 16:18).

Let us trust and then let us pray. Let us become faithful in prayer to a much greater extent than ever before. Let us truly set down our foolish pride and comical imaginings about our “strength” and lean in total dependence on the One Who is truly strong. Let us take every anxiety to God in prayer and experience His supernatural peace in crazy times (Philippians 4:6-7).

Finally, let us act out of love for the good of God’s Kingdom in Jesus Christ. In Matthew 6:25-33, Jesus carefully explains why we should not be anxious about anything. God loves and cares for His people and doesn’t want us to be paralyzed by anxiety. Replace your anxiety with action for God’s Kingdom as verse 33 teaches, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”