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Blessings of a Cluttered Desk

1 Timothy 6:17 

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 

I sit at my desk this morning with a cat on my left hand. She rubs her head against my hand, causing my hand to type letters I don’t intend. I sigh and backspace to correct the mistakes. I have a notebook on my right entitled “Blog.”  On my left, past the cat, are a couple of journals and a devotional. My husband brought home a novel from work, so it has been added to the stack. I have two monitors. Beneath one is an old shelf- thing with a drawer. I have no idea what its original purpose was, but I loved it when we came across it in a thrift store, so it became my Mother’s Day gift that year. It makes a great monitor riser. It is in serious need of dusting. The other “monitor riser” is another Mother’s Day gift. It has a couple of Bibles and a hymnal and odds and ends some of which I don’t know quite what to do with, so they get stuck there. I also have a large candle holder full of pens, pencils, and highlighters. I have paperweights and stress toys and lotion and sticky notes scattered among the risers. This more or less constitutes my desk, which is a small dining table shoved against a wall.  

My purpose in describing my space is not to bore you or show you my organization skills, or lack of them, but rather to remind myself and you that there is a blessing in a cluttered desk. A while back I posted about identity in the things on the desk. How the things on the desk can reveal things about us. This time I want to look at it a little differently. Maybe there is a blessing in the clutter.  

Most of us tend to hate clutter. It makes us feel claustrophobic and cramped. We cannot relax or think straight until the clutter is gone. In fact, you may have read my listing above and had some anxiety. I admit to some anxiety myself. Yet, as I take a second look and consider the items, I discover how blessed I am.  

The cat wants to be near me because she loves me. She has, since I began typing, moved to lay on the notebook, to sit in front of the keyboard watching my fingers or blinking at me. The risers and novel indicate I have a family and am loved. The notebook reminds me that I need to study and plan content. I have a responsibility to whoever reads this blog. Even the dust reminds me of the fact that I have a home, a roof over my head. The Bibles remind me, if I ever need reminding, there is a God and He loves me and gave Himself for me. He is the reason I do this. He is my Audience of One.  

There is a blessing in the clutter. I am not saying that the clutter doesn’t need to be cleared away. Not at all. But maybe the next time we grumble and complain about the inconvenience of the dust, the dishes, the laundry, the mess, we can take a moment to remind ourselves that these could remind us why we have them in the first place. They could mean we have a family. They could remind us that we are loved. Regarding a pet, the clutter could remind us that an animal depends on us and trusts us. The dirty dishes mean we had food to eat and had something to prepare it in and eat that food from. The laundry indicates that we have clothes to wear. We have been blessed far beyond what we deserve and in truth we can live on far less than what we have.  

So, there is a blessing in the clutter. Whether it is a desk, a corner, or a room, the clutter can be used to remind us we have a blessing and a purpose. Clean it up certainly, but while you do so rejoice in the blessing of a God who gives us all things to enjoy.  

All for One 

Angela 

Posted on by Angela

Third Verse Devotion: There is Power in the Blood

There has been a movement in recent years to remove the word “blood” from the language of churches and church music. Yet when we remove the blood the sacrifice of Jesus is meaningless. Our salvation is based on the shed blood of Jesus as a substitution for the debt of sin we could not pay. Romans 6:23 reminds us that “the wages of sin is death…” Jesus took those wages upon Himself and gave us “…the gift of God …eternal life…” I hope we never find ourselves wanting to remove something so precious from our faith as the shed blood of Jesus. Our hymn today reminds us “There is Power in the Blood.” 

Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow? 
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood. 
Sin-stains are lost in its life-giving flow; 
there’s wonderful power in the blood.  

There are four verses to the hymn, and each verse begins by asking a question? Our focus verse, verse three, asks, “Would you be whiter much whiter than snow?” This question reflects Isaiah1:18 in which the Lord states, 

 “Come now, and let us debate your case,” 
Says the Lord, 
“Though your sins are as scarlet, 
They shall become as white as snow; 
Though they are red like crimson, 
They shall be like wool. 

The question is followed by the reminder that there is “power in the blood” The next line tells us that in the blood our stains are washed away. Each of the first three verses build on the fact that we can be cleansed from our sins in the blood of Jesus.  

Sin leaves a stain on our heart and soul. We cannot wash it away on our own. Our good works will not remove it. Church attendance will not take it away. Singing in the choir will not touch it. Volunteering for the nursery will not even remove the stain of our sin. The only remedy for the removal of the stain of our sin is the blood of Jesus. There is no other religion that can offer so bold a claim. There’s wonderful power in the blood. It’s only by the blood of Jesus we can be made clean.  

You may be asking, “What about in the Old Testament, before Jesus came?” That is a fair question, but even then, God had the sacrificial law in place for the cleansing of sin. The writer of Hebrew reminds us, 

And almost all things are cleansed with blood, according to the Law, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Hebrews 9:22 NASB 

After Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden and covered themselves the best they could with fig leaves sown together, God taught them about sacrifice and offering and redemption. Genesis 3:21 tells us,  

And the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. (NASB) 

One of the animals that Adam loved and named and cared for gave its life so that the man and woman could be clothed and their sin covered. Did you ever wonder how the people knew what offering to bring before the law was given and the Levitical was established? It was taught to Adam and Eve in the garden as God made clothes for them. They carried it with them and taught it to their children.  

Now because of Jesus, we can come directly to the throne of grace and confess our sin to the Father and find the same forgiveness and redemption that Adam and Eve found. We no longer have a need to offer an animal sacrifice; Jesus was our sacrifice. We find in Ephesians, in the first chapter, the basis for our hope of redemption. 

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7 NASB 

There is power in the blood. I will gladly sing and write about the blood because without the blood of Jesus, I am still lost in my sins with no hope for eternity. My prayer for you as you read this is that you also find the salvation that comes from the blood of Jesus which was given for you. It is in accepting His sacrifice we begin to truly understand that we live for an audience of One. 

All for One 

Angela 

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Understanding Biblical Prophecy by Dr. David Jeremiah: review

This was a free download from NetGalley in exchange for a written review. 

This was a 30-day study over the events of the end time calendar. Dr. Jeremiah covered in 30 days the major events surrounding the end of the age. He covered such things as the Rapture, the Antichrist, the Tribulation, the Day of the Lord, the Seventy Weeks, Armageddon, the fall of Babylon, the Millennium, and many others. Understanding Biblical Prophecy is not intended to cover each of these topics exhaustively, but, rather, to impact the learners living for where they are in their lives now.  

The study is divided into four sections. These include context, reflect, apply, and ahead. In the context section, Dr. Jeremiah sets up the study with background information or details regarding the study topic. It is a short section serving as an introduction to the study. The reflect section consists of four questions intended to drive the study deeper into God’s word and give the learner time to reflect on the content of the study. The apply section also consists of four questions, and these are meant for the learner to apply the study to their own life. How the study can be applied to individual lives today. The ahead section is a summary of the lesson and ends with promise and hope and a glimpse ahead of the next lesson. This format is easy to follow and provides depth in individual or group study. Each study contains a box at the top containing a verse box, and the end of each study contains a closing verse box and a quote from the day’s lesson.  

Questions are thoughtful. The digital version allows availability to answer within the guide itself which is something I had not encountered with a digital study guide, but found to be a great feature. The learner can enter thoughts and answers directly into the guide without needing to have an extra journal, unless of course that is desired. The time needed to complete each day depends on the learner’s time needed to complete the questions for reflection and application but should run fifteen to thirty minutes on average.  

I enjoy Dr. Jeremiah’s publications, and this was no exception. I would gladly recommend this study to anyone who is new to a study of eschatology. This study, Understanding Biblical Prophecy, provides a wonderful introduction to the study of last days with a balanced approach to personal reflection and application.  

I would rate Understanding Biblical Prophecy by Dr. David Jeremiah 5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this study to anyone over the age of 16 only because of the level of learning. My hope is that anyone who participates in this study grows more in their understanding of the last days and that their faith will become more certain as we wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

All for One  

Angela 

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Piper at the Gates of Dusk by Patrick Ness: Review

This was a free download from NetGalley in exchange for a written review.

I believe in being widely read, in reading from several genres. I read a great deal of mystery and fantasy. So, I like to read beyond these into science fiction, historical, biographical, classics and others. I believe this keeps us grounded as readers and helps us discover new authors. This download is one example. I recognized this author’s name but no more. I had not read any of his works. Therefore, I had no expectations at all when I began reading Piper at the Gates of Dusk by Patrick Ness. Here is my experience.

Piper at the Gates of Dusk can be read as a standalone work, I would recommend not reading it as such. It is only a few pages in length and is clearly connected with a larger body of work. Patrick Ness states this upfront in an opening note to the reader. He had previously written a trilogy called Chaos Walking, and this short story takes the reader back into that world.

I was drawn right away by the writing and storytelling. It is the story of two brothers, Ben and Max, and a very unusual god. The use of god bothered me but I was in a different world, in a different medium, and it was a story. The description of this god was curious, and its actions were less than god-like, well at least compared to the God I know. The god crashes from the forest, jumps into a lake disrupting wildlife and water. One of the brothers becomes injured in the process, and the other runs for help. The brother remaining begins to hear voices and identifies their location; the reason they are heard.

The story stops abruptly. I must admit I read the ending a couple of times. I didn’t get it then. As I write this review, I read it again and it becomes a little clearer. I count it due to the fact that I am not familiar with the trilogy it is connected with.

Piper at the Gates of Dusk was well written, and the characters developed as well as possible for such a short work. I would recommend reading the trilogy Chaos Walking before reading Piper at the Gates of Dusk to help with context and setting. It would certainly help when gods run from the forest and jump in a lake.

I would rate Piper at the Gates of Dusk by Patrick Ness 4 out of 5 stars. I give it this rating because of the length and familiarity with the existing work. The writing was well done and the story pulls the reader in wondering what in the world is going on, but I found myself wanting more and wishing the author had not stopped where he had. I would easily recommend this short story to anyone ages 16 and up, perhaps even a little younger. I am cautious about going younger because of my lack of knowledge of the trilogy. Now off to find the trilogy. To be continued…

All for One

Angela

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Dog Daze

So, we have a puppy now in my home. My sister found five abandoned puppies and my son took one. We think she is a lab/border collie mix. She is probably 10-12 weeks old, and a handful.

Our schedules are all off kilter. She is like having a newborn in the house. We are getting up during the night to take her outside for bathroom breaks. Last night, she did much better almost made it through the night. Yay!

My writing time has suffered, however. I like to write early in the morning. It take the 4:00 hour and work on hymns, book reviews, etc. Today I don’t know how many times I got up to stop her barking a cat, retrieve my shoe, wondering why she was quiet, finding a toy to redirect her away from a cat or my shoe.

I am trying to stay on schedule, but be aware I am still here. If I am later than normal or miss a week, blame it on Abigail. She won’t be a puppy forever and life will resume to a new normal and new schedules. Until then life will be a bit of a walking daze.

All for One

Angela

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3 Tips for Spending an Hour in Prayer 

 I was privileged to lead the prayer ministry at our church several years ago. Our group learned much about prayer during that time and the principles will be with me for the rest of my life.  

To spend an hour in prayer, I think there are at least three key ingredients you need. These are simple ingredients that you probably already know. Yet they are vital to remaining focused during your hour in prayer when you commit to spending that time alone with God. In no order, you need a Bible with pen and paper or a journal, a prayer list, and a hymnal or listing of worship songs. Now let’s take a look at them in turn. 

Bible and Journal or Notebook

You need to have with your Bible and a pen and some paper. You can use a journal, a 3-ring binder, a spiral notebook, whatever suits your personality and budget. When you spend an hour in prayer, you will not be talking the entire time. You will want to have time when you need to listen. God will speak to you. He will impress things on your heart and mind. As he does, you need to be prepared to write things down.  Don’t assume you will be able to remember everything later. A journal or a notebook will help keep impressions and thoughts together.  

As you are praying, you will also find your mind wandering to all the things you need to do or random thoughts creeping into your mind. If they are important, write them down to deal with them later. If they are not important, acknowledge them then dismiss them and refocus on the task of prayer. Also, realize it is normal for your mind to wander. We are human after all, and our minds are constantly bombarded with thoughts. Some of us more than others. What is more, our enemy, the devil, is not at all eager for us to spend an hour in prayer. So, naturally, he will do everything to distract us and keep us from prayer. Being prepared to write down distractions can help us stay focused and win the battle in the moment. 

Prayer List

Another tool you will need is a prayer list. Don’t assume when you start to pray for an hour that you will remember everything you want to pray about. Our enemy will snatch away those requests by every distraction. Remember, he doesn’t want you to pray. So, write down your prayer list. Have things on your list like your family needs, your nation, your government, those that need salvation, missionaries, those that are sick, people you know that are in difficult situations, difficult situations you might be facing, and so on. Put these items in categories if you like. Put them in order of highest need if that is something you wish. If you remember something while you are praying, add it to your list.  

Prayer is not always asking. It is also about confession. Be sure to confess sins you need forgiveness for and maybe write down any ways you need to make them right if the sin is against another person. Or an action plan if the sin is a habit you need to stop doing.  You might want to start with confession before you begin with your list of needs. Make things right between you and God, then move to needs of self and others.  

Hymnal or Worship List

Another good tool to have during your hour is a hymnal or a listing of worship songs. You can have a playlist ready, but I don’t really recommend it. I prefer just voice during this time. It is easy to get off track with the music and spend far too long on music and not enough on prayer. Having a hymnal or list of worship songs you are very familiar with will limit how much time is spent on music and bring balance to your prayer time. Of course, if you desire to spend the entire time in worship, that is your option. However, we are talking about an hour in prayer, not singing. All you need is two to four songs/hymns at most that you can sing through in worship to get your heart and mind in the right place.  

You can use the hymnal/list at the beginning as a time of worship before you begin to pray and then at the end as another time of worship and thanksgiving. You might also want to come back to a time of worship if you notice your mind continually wandering. A short time of worship would realign your focus on the One you are there to spend time with.  

A lot of churches today use projectors during worship services and have a supply of hymnals no longer in use. You might talk to your pastor or worship leader or music director about how to acquire one if you would like a copy of a hymnal for devotion and worship during your prayer time. You might also be able to find one at a secondhand store or bookstore. Of course, you can always go to Amazon and buy a new copy of your choice there. I checked and there are several copies to choose from.  

Conclusion

So here we have three tips for praying for an hour. Your Bible with pen and paper, prayer list, and a hymnal or listing of worship songs. These are by no means exhaustive. Let me know others you think of or have tried. These three things will help with wandering mind and help you keep your focus on God and what He is saying to you and what you want to say to Him. They will help you with praise and worship and thanksgiving and help you remember that He is a holy God who wants to have fellowship with you.  

I challenge you to look at your calendar the coming week and schedule an hour that you can get alone with your God and relish in who He is and what He wants to say to you. The first try may be difficult like any new practice, it will take discipline but keep at it. You will find a power you never experienced as God numbers you as a prayer warrior. You will not leave the same.  

All for One 

Angela 

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Cry of the Banshee by Heather Graham

This was a free download from Net Galley in exchange for a book review.

Heather Graham has written a fun story in Cry of the Banshee.  It is a supernatural mystery that kept me guessing until the end wondering who caused the deaths and why. The supernatural element of the story created interest. The story is 125 pages long digitally which would make it a novella. The story is another in Graham’s Krewe of Hunters series, although it was the first I have read.  

The story is set in Ireland in Castle Darien, ancient home of Angela Hawkins Crow and her second cousin, Moira Hawkins. Moira inherited the home from her grandmother for whom she gave up an acting career to move back to Ireland to take care of.  

Now Moira hears a banshee cry in the night just before tragedy strikes. She knows the legends of the banshee and is convinced one is warning her when a death is near. Following a recent ghost tour Moira was awakened by the wailing banshee and discovers a woman dead in a bathroom. Desperate, she called on her cousin in the FBI to come help sort the situation. Angela and her husband, Jackson, head for Ireland on the next flight. 

At first the death looks like a tragic heart attack until Angela and Jackson begin to dig deeper and suspects begin to emerge. A closer look at the autopsy reveals murder as the cause of death. Soon Angela is talking to the banshee and she and Jackson along with local Inspector Angus McCray are teaming up to catch a killer or killers and discover the motive behind it all.  

I enjoyed Cry of the Banshee. The characters are well developed and the story flows. I did miss some things as I had not followed the character development from the beginning and would like to go back to the beginning of the series to watch their development. This is my personal preference. The story is a good stand alone, and the reader is not missing keys to other stories by not having read previous books. I thought the interaction between the characters was appropriate, and there was no excessive use of language or sexuality. There were occasional uses of language but not to the extent that it interfered with my reading of the story. The sexuality was between a married couple and was not explicit.  

The use of a banshee gave the story a supernatural element and made the story fun. Where banshees in lore were often terrifying harbingers of death of family members, the use of the banshee here is mournful and a warning of a tragic event to come of a death that may affect the hearer. So, its use here lightened the tone and kept the story from becoming too dark.  

I would rate Cry of the Banshee 4 out of 5 stars and would recommend it to anyone over the age of 16 because of the elements of language, sexuality and paranormality. I would certainly read another of Heather Graham’s books and will be on the lookout for more.  

All for One  

Angela 

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Third Verse Devotion: I Am Thine, O Lord

This week’s hymn is “I am Thine, O Lord.” It is one I can still hear my grandfather singing and one of many favorite Fanny Crosby songs. So, let’s explore the third verse,  

O, the pure delight of a single hour 
that before Thy throne I spend, 
when I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God, 
I commune as friend with friend!  

 
There are four stanzas to the hymn, and each seems to have a different theme. However, when you come to the refrain (chorus) they are all bound together.  

Refrain: 
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, 
to the cross where Thou hast died; 
draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, 
to Thy precious, bleeding side. 
 

They are all about being drawn closer to Christ. This particular stanza is about drawing deeper in prayer. What does prayer mean to you? How much time do you dedicate to prayer? Can you say you spend a single hour in prayer? I tend to relate more to the disciples when Jesus was in the garden, and He took the disciples with Him. He asked them to watch and pray. What did they do? They fell asleep. He came back and found them sleeping. His response? “Could you not keep watch for one hour?” (Mark 14:37) He asked the question to Simon Peter, but He might as well have asked me. I doubt I could have done much better. This account is found in Matthew 26 and Mark 14 if you need a refresher.  

Crosby calls it a “pure delight” to spend an hour in prayer. Some of us can barely manage fifteen minutes in prayer before our minds start to wander. So how can we spend an hour in prayer? I think it is a learned practice. It is something you build up to. It becomes a spiritual discipline. We begin to delight ourselves in the Lord (Psalm 37:4) and watch as His desires become our desires. At first distractions are everywhere then over time they come to a minimum as we learn to focus on Him and he becomes our heart’s desire.  

It is also important to remember that we are coming before the throne of Almighty God. We are not calling 1-800-I WANT NOW. We often need to change our attitude before we begin our prayer time. Our stanza talks about the delight of spending an hour before His throne. It is Him we are seeking. His presence. When we come with a list of Christmas wants, of course we can’t focus on much more than just those few things. He wants to spend time with us. He wants to commune with us. He wants us to want to commune with Him. Notice the last line, “as friend with friend.” You can’t say that when you meet with a friend you rush in with that friend and say something like, “I can only give fifteen minutes, so much to do, but here is what I need, by the way, I love you. You are my best friend. See you soon. Gotta run. Bye.” Before long that friend won’t want to meet with you and you can hardly call yourself friends. Friends talk and share. They listen to each other. They spend time together. They enjoy each other’s company. This is the relationship described in the hymn, “I commune as friend with friend.” 

I don’t know what your relationship with God is like. You may have a depth that others can only dream about. You may be more like the friend I just described. You may be somewhere in between. I hope wherever you are in your relationship you long to go deeper. You long for an ever-closer relationship with Him. I can say that with confidence because our God is so awesome in scope and power that just when we think we know Him He reveals another layer of His nature and character to us and we are blown away by Him and His greatness. 

I challenge you in this next week to change the way you think about your prayer life. Maybe you need to just begin to pray. So, five minutes is a challenge, and an hour is an eternity. So, start with the five minutes you do have. Maybe you are more like the friend I described earlier. Slow down and focus on Him who sits on the throne. He loves you and gave Himself for you. Leave your list and worship Him. Try something different. It is not too late to begin to draw nearer to God. In fact, He desires a relationship with you. Prayer is a conversation between you and God. He is waiting for you.  

 My prayer for all of us is that we would reach a place where our delight is a single hour in prayer talking with our God as friends.  

“Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord.” 

All for One 

Angela 

Posted on by Angela

Things on the Desk

The desk where I do my writing is actually a small dining table. I have it pushed against a wall. My house has an open floor plan, so I am central to living, kitchen and dining areas. It got me thinking though about the kinds of things we keep on our desk. If you have a desk, take a moment to look at what your desk holds.  

I don’t mean the normal desk things like staplers, pens and pencils, tape dispenser, and the like. Of course, even those things can disclose personality. What I am thinking of is what could a person gather about you with the things on your desk? My home desk looks different from my work desk, but there are similarities. Both have sticky notes on the monitor; things I don’t want to forget or want to have at hand. My home desk has paperweights, an electric pencil sharpener (I use colored pencils for Bible study, and I even have real pencils), I have a large glass candle holder full of pens and pencils and highlighters. There is a Bible and a hymnal. Several journals. I have a few fidget things and stress toys. Right now, I have a menu planner marked for the coming week. It is incomplete. I also have a spiral binder with tabs which contain projects taken from my notebooks or that need to be typed into various folders in my computer. Recipes, writings, etc. There are a few other things crammed in, but this is basically my home workspace. 

My point in this exercise is that who we are is sometimes identified by what we surround ourselves with. By looking at the contents of our desk we can see where our time and energy is focused. It gives us the opportunity to make adjustments to our priorities. If we look at our desk and see an overflow of bills, maybe we need to consider our spending habits or work on budgeting. Sometimes our desk reveals what we enjoy.  An abundance of cards, stamps and pens could reveal you send cards to those you are thinking of or those who are sick or struggling. A desk covered with everything, but desk related items could mean you don’t use a desk at all. It is only a piece of furniture that is now a catch -all for all the clutter you don’t know what to do with.  

What are you surrounding yourself with? When you look at your workspace, home, or work, what stands out as a priority? The Bible tells us the from the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks (see Matthew 12:34). I think this is true not only in our speech, which is a big clue to our heart, but also in our workspace. What is important to us is what we keep close. Pictures of family, bible verses, inspirational quotes, things that build us up and those which visit our space reveal what is inside, what is important. Obscene pictures, insulting language, divisive posters, etc. also reveal what is inside. We are talking about a heart issue more than an organizational problem.  

I know you are probably thinking it is only a workspace but take a moment to look at your space either at home or at work. See if what I am saying is true. What does that space reveal about you? What does your desk or workspace say about you? Does it reveal your identity in Christ? Or does it reveal a life lived for the flesh? Maybe somewhere in between?  

I am not here to condemn; that is not my job. I only want you to think about what you identify yourself with and how you want to align your life. We want to be individuals who give our all for one. Who give everything we have to God. This means we are a work in progress, and it involves every aspect of our life from the company we keep to the insignificant little things like what we keep on our desk at work or home. Everything we say or do reflects who we are in Jesus. The changes may be gradual, such as replacing one item that may be inappropriate with something that is encouraging and uplifting. Maybe your whole workspace needs an overhaul. You decide.   

Maybe the time has come for you to decide for Christ. It’s time to follow Him. Put the things of the world behind and accept His gift of salvation. He loves you so much He died on a cross for your sins, and he alone can change you from the inside out. His identity in you is the only way the things on the desk make any difference.  

All for One 

Angela 

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Third Verse Devotion: The Old Rugged Cross

The cherished hymn “The Old Rugged Cross” was written by a Methodist Episcopal minister. He wrote the words in 1913, and it is his best-known hymn.  

For our purposes, we will look at verse three. The hymn is in the public domain, and you can find it as always at www.hymnary.org. Here is the third verse for reference.  

 In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, 
a wondrous beauty I see, 
for ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died, 
to pardon and sanctify me.  

There is a key word in this beautiful verse that I want us to focus on for a while. Sanctify. The word comes from Latin, and it means, “to make holy”, or “to set apart.” It is first used in the Bible in Genesis chapter 2 and verse 3 where God sanctified the seventh day. He set apart the seventh day and made it holy.  

Yet our hymnal verse is talking about us as being sanctified. Jesus died to “…sanctify me.” We have been sanctified. What does that mean? It means that once we have accepted Jesus’s gift of salvation, we too have been set apart. We have been made holy. When Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, He bought our redemption. So, when we give ourselves to Him, we are set apart from the rest of the world. We are His.  

The first thing we need to understand about sanctification is that it is the work of Christ in us. He is the one who sanctifies. Consider the following verses: 

Hebrews 13:12 

Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood. 

Hebrews 10:10 

By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time. 

Hebrews 10:14 

For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 

So, since the blood of Jesus sanctifies us by His sacrifice on the cross what is our response? Since salvation is by grace through faith and we are not saved by works, what are we now to do? We remember we are changed. We are set free from the entanglements of the world. We no longer are slaves to our old selves and the old habits. We have been set apart. The blood of Christ has made us holy. Yes, holy. We have been bought at a great price. The Son of God gave His life on a cross for our sins. The price could not have been greater. He paid that price for you and me. Our acceptance and belief in that singular act set us apart from the rest of the world. It sanctifies us.  

Now we live by new guidelines. The old way of thinking is gone. The old way of talking is gone. Sometimes the old friendships we had are gone. Here are some more verses to consider: 

Romans 6:22 

But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 

2 Timothy 2:21 

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be an implement for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. 

Romans 12: 1-2 

Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 

Sometimes it happens quickly. Other times it happens slowly. But we begin to change. The way we conduct business changes. Our interaction with family changes. The way we talk changes. The way we dress might even change. Everything about us is new. We are set apart for God’s use. We represent Him to the world.  

Does that mean we always get it right? Of course not. Think about some who were set apart by God yet messed up terribly. Samson, David, Moses, the disciples, Israel, yes, the list could go on. Also add my name to the list, yours too. God set each of these apart for a special work. All of them had a different task. They all knew God and had witnessed his power and majesty. David was a man after God’s own heart. Moses had to wear a veil over his face after being in God’s presence. The disciples walked daily with Jesus for three years.  

It could be assumed that if anyone could get the idea of what God had in mind it would be these individuals, but some of the greatest failures came through them. David slept with Bathsheba and when he learned she was pregnant tried to cover it up, but when that didn’t work had her husband killed. Moses disobeyed God and did what had worked before, striking a rock instead of speaking to it. He didn’t enter the promised land as a result. The disciples were competitive and slow to understand Jesus’s teaching then fled when Jesus needed them most. One betrayed Him. One denied he even knew Him. Israel is still God’s chosen people, the apple of His eye even though they have rebelled time and time again.  

From this we understand once we have been sanctified, God does not rescind that covering. The above examples were still set apart despite their failures. There were consequences certainly. But they were still set apart for God’s purposes. And so are we.  

We have a responsibility once we realize the importance of what it means to be sanctified, to be set apart. We no longer can look like the rest of the world. We still live in the world, but we don’t look like the world. We are supposed to be different. We talk differently. We dress differently. God now convicts us about what we watch on television or at the movies or what we read. Put away the filthy language. Change your clothes. Change the channel. Put down the book. Remember, you are set apart. You are sanctified. Instead, “…cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.” 

If you need a little more convincing, let me leave you with a few more scriptures that might help. 

1 Corinthians 6:11 

But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 

1 Thessalonians 5:23 

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

1 Peter 3:15 

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect 

Have you stumbled? Have you fallen? Look to the Father. He is waiting to restore you. Jesus died on the cross to pardon and sanctify us. Cling to Him. Remember the Old Rugged Cross today.  

All for One  

Angela