But whosoever hath not • Deshen Daily

For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath (Matt. 13:12 KJV).

The truth revealed to us in the verse above is life-changing. It shows us what we have seen happen naturally over and over again, where the rich keep getting richer and the poor poorer. The crucial part of it all is that this is not just a natural but a spiritual principle by which God operates.

God gave spiritual abundance to the 12 disciples who had believed in Jesus(had Jesus who gave them understanding) and took away the privileges of the promised kingdom from the other Israelites who did not believe in Jesus and therefore lost the kingdom temporarily. The keys of the kingdom were therefore delivered to the 12 disciples, adding to what they already had. On the contrary, the other Israelites who had these promises but did not have the spiritual wisdom and understanding in believing in Jesus not only did not receive any further mysteries of the kingdom from the Lord but the kingdom itself was taken away from them.( Matt. 21:43).

One key lesson I learned from the scripture above, amongst others, is that there are things in life that if you don’t have them, you will lose something else that you have. If you do not have patience and self-control, for example (fruit of the Spirit), you might do things that will eventually cost you a promising relationship or even your marriage for those who are married. Have you met athletes who had talents that took them to the top of their career but lost everything because they lacked humility? As believers, we have privileges in Christ, but those rights are being taken right before our eyes each day because we lack spiritual maturity. There are things in life that if we do not have, we will lose others.

MEDITATE

Are there things in your life you are losing because you lack something?

APPLY THE WORD

If you lack control over your finances, something will be taken from you. If you lack a consistent prayer life, something will be taken from you. The list continues. Be conscious of the fact that there are things that we lack that are costing us a lot.

PRAY

Ask the Father to help you grow and increase and close every gap that is costing you dearly in life.

Recommended Read: Why Am I Broke?

Foundational Read: What is a Daily Devotional?

Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the Lord which sanctify you. (Leviticus 20:7–8, KJV)

Jehovah Mekaddishkem showing washing gloves, cleaning fluid and sponge

As the Great I AM that I AM, God revealed Himself as the Lord who sanctifies His people in the Old Covenant—Jehovah Mekaddishkem. But this was only a shadow of something greater that was coming in the New Testament.

Jehovah Mekaddishkem is the English transliteration of the Hebrew words for “I am the Lord which sanctify you” ( “mekaddish” = sanctify, “kem” = you). Divine names and titles in the Old Testament often reveal an aspect of God in relation to His people.

There are three keywords that underlie the meaning of sanctification: “wash,” “consecrate,” and “separate.” Sanctification essentially means to make something holy. Sinlessness is a core aspect of holiness, but there is more to holiness than sinlessness. It is the very nature of God. However, when used in reference to us humans, it means to be cleaned from sin, set apart for God, and consecrated to Him.

In the passage above, God tells the people first to sanctify themselves and then reveals He is the One who sanctifies them. Thus, He gives us the two sides of sanctification—the God side and the human side. There’s something God does and something His people do for their sanctification.

This truth was only a shadow in the Old Testament. It is in Christ that we see God fully revealed as Jehovah Mekaddishkem to His people through the sanctifying work on the cross. In speaking to the Corinthians, Paul revealed,

“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11, KJV)

This is Jehovah Mekaddishkem fulfilled in Christ: We were washed and sanctified. Note that these are in past tense, describing something God has already done. The day you received Christ, you received the bath of your life, a heavenly bath by the Spirit of God that removed every stain of sin through the precious blood of Christ. And as you continue to live on earth, the Spirit continues to sanctify you daily.

Following the sanctifying work He has already done in us, He commands us,

“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:” (1 Thessalonians 4:3, KJV)

Now that you are clean, washed, and sanctified, He tells us to put that sanctification to work outwardly. Paul explicit states it is what God wants—His will. He gives us a very specific example of sanctification here: abstain from sexual immorality. Few things defile us, like sexual impurity. But sanctification certainly includes more than abstaining from fornication or adultery. As above, it includes living a consecrated and separated life to God daily in the way we talk, act, think, feel, and handle our bodies.

He is Jehovah Mekaddishkem, the God who has Sanctified you in Christ and continues to sanctify you every day.

Meditate

Is our sanctification completed, ongoing, or both?

Apply the Word

This is the crucial part of this devotional. Until you receive the truth that God has already sanctified you by His Spirit, you will not be empowered to be sanctified practically. Put God’s sanctification power to work in your life daily by faith in the finished work of Christ.