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Posts Tagged ‘sanctify’

Light Reflection-John 17:17 Sanctify Them

February 6th, 2023 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from John 17:17.

Jesus prayed for His disciples this way, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

Lies deceive us and take us away from the joy of following Jesus. Truth, however, is like a reliable compass, pointing out God’s standards, and giving us direction in the light of God’s will. The words of Jesus accurately reflect the will of God. If we are guided by the words of truth, we will be sanctified. That means we will be set apart by God for a useful purpose that brings glory to His name. We will grow in God’s grace and in godly character, so that our lives yield the fruitful qualities of love, joy, peace, and patience.

Jesus said in John 18:37, “The reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

This Light Reflection inspires us to be sanctified by the truth of God’s Word in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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Relationship-Building Principle-Engagement

February 24th, 2015 No comments

JOHN SHIRK -Today’s Relationship-Building Principle comes from John 17, verses 15 through 18.

Jesus said to His Heavenly Father, regarding His followers, “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.”

One of the perplexing questions that Christians face is “what does it mean to be in the world, but not of it?”

We are not called to be isolated from our culture, but to be engaged in it.

We are not called to compromise godly standards, but to uphold them in our witness for Jesus.

After Jesus said this prayer, His followers engaged culture and became influences for the Gospel. God can work through us to share the good news of God’s love with the world.

Engaging this world with the Gospel is a vital relationship-building principle to take to heart in the Year of Connection.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com