"My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth."
John 17: 15-17
I live in two worlds.
Born in Painesville, Ohio, I slowly learned about my world. I relied on people as much as I needed food. I slept as I became fatigued. Gravity held me to the sod. I learned about plants and animals. Some plants are beautifully soft and aromatic, others have nasty prickers. Some animals are sleek and soft, yet there are claws. People are similar.
My parents introduced me to the facets of Jesus' world as I went to Sunday School and spoke my prayers. As I learned right from wrong, I learned about black and white, God and Satan. "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so." I learned that I am a sinner in need of forgiveness. My Savior died on the cross to pay for my sins and he is coming back again someday. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
To me, the word "sanctify" equates to my spiritual growth as I journey with God. As I feel my way around the spiritual realm, God pulls me back from dangerous precipices. He beams his radiant love upon me as I study his word, the truth, and test his waters. Is the pasture really green and lush, as he said? Are the waters still? Will he lead me through dark valleys, calling me by name? Can I count on him to look for me when I have strayed?
YES! Resoundingly, the answer is affirmative. I don't have to leave my first world - the one with rose petals and sleek fur, prickers and claws - to abide in my second world. I just need to stay connected to Jesus through the truth of his word and the righteousness that is his. I am in this world, yet my citizenship is in heaven.
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