Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.              1 Thessalonians 4:1

I can remember looking around the sanctuary at all of the older people there and wondering how they had held onto their Christianity all those years.

I was thirty-eight years old when I came to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I had little understanding of how God worked but some understanding of the standard I was being held to – that of the life and character of Jesus Himself. I remember thinking, “how do I do this for the rest of my life?”

I did understand that the commitment I had made was for a lifetime. What I had not yet understood was that it was God who had made the biggest commitment to me. Unlike me, He has no problem with endurance and perseverance!

As I read 1 Thessalonians 4:1 (top of article) this morning I found it a challenging thought. Can I know if I am continuing to please God “more and more?” What’s the measure of that? Is my faith growing or is it stagnate?

Many of those  older, long-term Christians taught me that bible study and prayer are the #1 tools for spiritual growth.  Sanctification comes from doing what the Word of God says and accepting God’s answers to our prayers.

Did you ever wonder, “How will I trust Him to get me through all the changes I will need to make?” Language, habits that didn’t please God, some critical thinking, and an attitude of pride in myself that was completely wrong all needed to go and I knew it.

Watching those older Christians and listening to their testimonies of how God had held them up through difficult times and happy times taught me a lot. Now, twenty-some years later, I can see for myself that He is a patient God. From the beginning He showed me they were right. When I followed His Word, things went better for me than when I did them my way.  He faithfully waited for me to “get it” that He is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” (Psalm 103:8 and 145:8)

I now understand that all those faithful Christians I observed in that sanctuary had not “held onto” their Christianity. God had held onto them as they worshipped Him, studied his Word, and blessed them for doing what it said.

His faithfulness in calling us back when we start to walk away, teaching us the benefits of following Him, and giving us the desire to please Him more and more are all a part of His plan to sanctify a people for himself….a gracious and merciful plan.

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17