Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
I remember when I had just been saved and I thought, okay, what's next? All my sins are forgiven. I'm in the family of God now. I'm in Christ. Do I just wait for Jesus to come back? What's next?
I love this verse because it gives me a direction on what to do as I wait for Jesus to come back.
God Is the Initiator
It begins by saying: "For God saved us." That's a reminder that God is the one that initiated salvation. Salvation is not something that I earn. It's something that I receive. Salvation is not achieved. It's received. And that's important to understand because God is not against effort, but He is against earning.
When you and I try to earn our salvation, thinking that our good works are going to help us to be in right standing with Him—we miss the Gospel.
Called to Live a Holy Life
Paul says God is the one that saved us. Then he says this: "To live a holy life." That is key. Here's why: Because once we are saved, now it's about pursuing a life of holiness.
What does it mean to be holy? It means to be set apart. That means when the world looks at how I spend my time, how I treat my wife, how I spend my energy, my finances—my prayer is always this: I hope that people can look at my life and say Val loves God more than anything on this earth.
That's my prayer, because that's what it means to be set apart.
Living a Holy Life in God's Strength
Living a holy life is not something that we do in our strength. Our job is to abide in Jesus. That means we pursue the Lord. Here's what happens when we pursue Him: God's going to convict us of sin in our lives. God is going to call us to repent of mindsets that don't honor Him.
There are days when I'll spend time in prayer, and God deals with me with my jealousy and with my anger. Sometimes it's what I've said to my wife or my son or my buddy, and God will convict me and say, you need to say that you’re sorry.
Sanctification: Being Made Holy
That's called sanctification—this big theological word that means to make holy. That's what's in view in this verse.
But Paul says God didn't just save you. He called you to be set apart and to live a holy life. Why do we live a holy life? Because it bears witness to those around us.
My prayer is that people can ask: What is it about your life that you always have joy and peace? That's a Gospel opportunity.
A Call to Repentance
Maybe you're watching today and you're like, I'm not living a life that honors God. In fact, I'm not pursuing holiness.
One: I would encourage you to pray for God to give you a desire for the things of God—for prayer, for His Word, and for His people.
If you're watching this and you're living in sin, then your job is to repent of your sin. Here's why: If we keep living in our sin, we have to remember—sin grows in the dark.
Bring It into the Light
There's no such thing as secret sin, so you might as well bring it into the light.
Here's what happens when we bring it into the light: The enemy no longer has a hold of us. But when we bring it into the light, here's what 1 John chapter 1, verse 9 says: "If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us."
Trust God to Complete His Work
Remember: God saved you. God has called you to live a life of holiness. Trust Him that the work that He began in your life, He will carry it on to completion.
