Today's Verse: 1 Thessalonians 4:3

Thursday, April 3, 2008

It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality...
— 1 Thessalonians 4:3
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Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Sanctified sounds "churchy" and old-fashioned to many people today. However, sanctified is a powerful God-fashioned word that means to make someone or something special, holy, reserved, and prepared for God's use and glory, something or someone that is not common. We are called to be an uncommon people, holy, and set apart for God (1 Peter 2:9-10). This is especially true regarding sexual immorality, something pervasive in the culture of the early church and today. We're to stay far away from it, glorifying and honoring God with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:18-20) while celebrating God's plan for joyful sexual fulfillment in marriage (Proverbs 5; 1 Corinthians 7:1-7).

My Prayer...

Father God, please protect and empower us as we seek to resist sexual temptation in our sexually charged culture. We consciously offer ourselves and our bodies to you as holy sacrifices, seeking to glorify, honor, and please you in how we use our bodies. In Jesus' name, each of us longs to worship you with all our heart, mind, speech, and physical strength. Amen.

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Illustration

Illustration of 1 Thessalonians 4:3 — It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality...

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About This Devotional

Today's Verse is a free daily devotional that includes a Bible verse, thought and prayer.

The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

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