By Pastor John Mateos Ong
There are things that we can do today and things that we can do tomorrow. But if you can do it today, why not do it already?
Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”” God created man in His own image and likeness. And just like God, man is a triune being: spirit, soul and body. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” But when man fell in Genesis 2:16-17, is says, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”” Man was banished from the Garden of Eden, which represented being with God. So spiritually, man died. The soul was corrupted but the body did not physically die. But when man is born again, his spirit gets regenerated, the soul is being sanctified and in the future, the body will be glorified when Jesus comes.
Sanctification is a process. It takes time. Until Jesus comes, sanctification never stops. It is our journey in being like Jesus. Sanctification is the renewal of the mind and what renews the mind is reading the Bible. There is no shortcut.
Matthew 7:22-23 says, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
The word “know” talks about intimacy, like a man knows his wife. While sanctification is a process, intimacy is not. Because intimacy is an important part of sanctification. Without intimacy, sanctification does not take place. With intimacy, sanctification happens.
Do not give up on yourself when you keep on sinning. God is not giving up on you. It is Christ that makes you a Christian. Sanctification is a process and you can be intimate with Christ today.
1.Be Open
Psalm 95:6-8 says, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice,” If you want to be intimate with God, you need to be open. If you are so full of yourself, there is no space for God to come in. Make yourself available like fertile soul, ready to be planted on. The soil represents the heart. Good soil is a heart that becomes intimate with the Lord. If you are not intimate and something bad happens to you, it is easy to turn your back from God. The priority today is to be intimate with God. Are you a good soil? Are you open?
2.Be persistent.
Luke 18:7 says, “And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?” This is from the parable of the persistent widow. If the wicked judge gave her justice because of her persistency, how much more the Father in heaven. If you are praying for something, maybe you did not get it because you just rpayed it once. Prayer takes persistence. So does intimacy. You are responsible for yourself. Proverbs 25:28 says, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” You are in charge of your own intimacy.
3.Be involved.
Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.” Everybody needs to do something. An intimate relationship with Jesus should lead you to action. James said, “faith without action is dead.” Jesus came to serve, not to be served. You need to do something.
4.Be faithful
1 Corinthians 4:1-2 says, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” Everybody was given a trust. For each thing that God has blessed you with, you are going to be held accountable. You have to prove yourself faithful. Do it even when no one sees you. God sees you anyway.
Matthew 25:21 says, ““The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together! ’” Be intimate with the Lord while you can. While sanctification is a process, intimacy should happen today.
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