For This is God's Will
I
Thessalonians 4:13
“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:”
The phrase “will of God” not only refers to
God’s commandments but also that in which God delights. In verse one he says, “we
beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have
received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God.” He then proceeds to
describe the kind of life in which pleases God.
Mankind was designed for holy living. He is to
exercise self-restraint, abstaining from fleshly passions. God has not called
us for the purpose of unclean living, but purity! This is God’s will! This is
God’s delight!
How grieved and disappointed he must be to look
upon the conduct of humanity! From the beginning of time until now the general
behavior of man is not a pretty picture. How disgusted he must be with those
who flaunt their animal-like behavior. What an ugly portrait!
However, since the beginning of time, there has
always been a remnant of faithful ones striving to fulfill God’s desires.
Though they are not perfect, they are living holy lives that please God. They
are a work of beauty in a world of ugliness.
It has been my fortune to have known a few of
those individuals. The list includes teenage boys and girls who are keeping
themselves from those defilements that are tempting their peers. It includes
elderly men who come to the late stages of life full of joy, love, and hope
instead of bitterness. And there are elderly women whose bright smile and
innocence is a striking contrast to those who have lived the hard life of
unrighteousness.
These shine as lights in a world of darkness!
In these God must truly take pleasure!
By
George Slover
From Expository Files 23.9; September 2016