1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

A slightly different Japanese translation of these two verses was set to music several years ago, and I can’t read them without that song running through my mind. That’s not a bad thing! We aren’t to be lax in our obedience to God, practicing “sloppy agape,” as I’ve heard it said, but neither are we to be anxious about whether we’ll “make it into heaven,” as it’s often enough said. As Paul assured the Philippians, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6) We are indeed to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling,” (Philippians 2:12) but not with anxiety as to the final outcome. As Paul wrote in Romans 6, we aren’t to use God’s grace as an excuse for sin, but when we slip up inadvertently we aren’t to be in terror of hell. It can be a difficult line to walk! Paul himself had trouble with it, as he wrote in Romans 7, so we need to be active in our openness and submission to the Holy Spirit. When that is our choice and attitude, then this passage that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians can be our assurance.

I think the Lord settled the matter of assurance of salvation for me at a pretty young age, which is a good thing, because after that I really got off track! I have had assurance of God’s love, but I haven’t always understood sufficiently that it is pure grace; I don’t deserve it. That awareness, interestingly enough, has grown while I have been living what some people would think was a “saintly” life. It is my experience that the closer I walk to God, the more I’m aware that it’s all Him and not me. I am totally convinced of the truth of John 15:5. “Apart from me you can do nothing.” It’s been many years now since the Lord told me to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him. I’m still learning to do that, but it’s a blessed journey. Since Sunday I’ve been having issues with my right ear, with it feeling stuffed and hardly hearing. I took some herbal medicine and it cleared up by nightfall, and yesterday everything seemed fine. Then this morning I got up to extreme dizziness. I took some medicine I had been prescribed for that a while back and tried to do my devotions, but had to stop after the “Observation” section to go lie down again, only to have to get up promptly to vomit, because of a spate of nausea. All I had to get rid of was a mouthful of iced tea, which I had drunk as part of the Communion I celebrate at the beginning of my devotions every morning. I lay down again, getting up at 8 to hang the laundry, since my wife can’t reach up to do it because of her health issues. After that I felt good enough to share a little breakfast with my wife, and now I’m back to devotions. That was a little more reminder of just how helpless I am on my own! That’s good to remember, because the One in whom I trust has already prepared a residence for me in heaven, and I am really looking forward to it. (John 14:3-4)

Father, thank You for all the things that remind us to trust in You, and not in anything else. May I recognize and follow Your plans for today, as a good steward of this body You’ve given me, and as a good servant in Your kingdom, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!