Topic: God’s Grand Plan [Charles Stanley Daily Devotional 5 March 2020]
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God’s Grand Plan
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
God’s plan for us is greater than we can imagine. But not many people realize that. We usually get so preoccupied with the demands of life that few of us give much thought to what it will mean to be sanctified.
Sanctification is a process. When we get saved, God sets us apart for Himself. Then throughout the rest of our life, He works to conform us to the image of His Son Jesus. We all struggle with sin, but when we die, our spirits will ascend to heaven and be completely sinless. Then we’ll see Jesus as He truly is, and we won’t struggle with “all that is in the world” (1 John 2:16).
However, as great as this will be, it’s not the final step. Some day Jesus will descend from heaven and bring the souls of those who have died in Christ. They will be united with their resurrected bodies, and believers who are still alive on the earth will be changed (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54). Then sanctification will be complete—spirit, soul, and body.
Then, spotless and without blame, we will walk in the Lord’s presence for eternity. Knowing this, how will you live today? The promise of salvation isn’t meant just to give hope, but to encourage us to live a holy life.