"LORD WHO SANCTIFIES YOU"

A-do-ni M'Kah-deesh-khem  

"Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you' " (Exodus 31:13 NKJV). 

Did you ever suspect that the Bible had so many wonderful names by which we might come to call upon our God? I am learning right along with all of you. Isn't it exciting? 

What does the word "sanctify" mean? Well, the Oxford Dictionary says this:  "set apart as, or declare holy; consecrate." What a wonderful thought! 

Just think about it with me for a moment. The God of all the universe, the God Who is all perfect, all holy, wants us to know Him as our Sanctifier. He wants you and I to understand that His greatest desire for us is to be like our heavenly Father; to become holy, set apart.

It doesn't take long for a person living here on earth to discover how difficult – impossible really – it is to be holy. Our sin nature has cursed our ability to work toward holiness ourselves. We live in an unholy world which pulls at us from every possible angle. Without God, we cannot attain holiness. How hopeless it would be for us if that were the end of the story. 

What great good news! God so loves you and so loves me that He cannot settle for watching us live out our lives without any hope of becoming like our Creator. In this sin-tainted world, He made a way for us to become holy. His plan was simple and yet so profound and mysterious that we cannot begin to comprehend it until we stand before Him in His heaven. His way for us to become sanctified was through the shed blood of His Son, Jesus -- the Perfect Atonement for sin -- Messiah Jesus became OUR sanctification! 

Now you and I can more clearly appreciate this wonderful name of God, Adonai M'Kahdishkhem, the "LORD Who Sanctifies You." He is the God Who makes us holy. 

I have said of my life that by its end I wish to be known as a "holy woman of God." I realize I could never begin to attain such a lofty goal in and of my own endeavors. It is only when I rely upon Adonai M'Kadishkhem that I can strive to make my actions and attitudes reflect God's holiness through my life. 

LORD, thanks for helping us to live a life set apart. You and You alone are the One Who sactifies us. Thank You that it is YOU Who brings about this change in us. Adonai M'Kahdishkhem, thank You for having our best interests in mind. 

Please forgive us when we struggle and rebel against Your holines, Your perfect will, Your design for our lives. We thank You for Your unfailing love. 

"Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, O LORD, have never abandoned anyone who searches for You" (Psalm 9:10, NLT). 

Be blessed this day. Liz Clark

Liz Clark and her husband, Bob, live in the beautiful mountainous area of Northern Georgia. 
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