ACCEPTABLE
Susan Murray
Today’s Scripture: “For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,” Hebrews 2:11, ESV
Theme: The Lord sanctifies us because we have chosen to make God our source and supply.
SELF-IMAGE
We all desire to feel good about ourselves, and our heart’s default is to look within ourselves (i.e. talents) or to seek something external (i.e. possessions) to say, “I’m an ok person.” What others think of us matters. That’s why we hide our failures and brag about our successes. We can be defensive when corrected because it hurts to feel inadequate. When praise comes, our hearts soar with delight because someone else sees and acknowledges us. We may even wrongly distance ourselves from others that the world says are not “good enough” because to be associated with them risks being seen as “less than” by others you feel are more important (Romans 12:16).
The shame of not being right, accepted, or approved is deep within our hearts, even if not acknowledged. It is there, and any effort to be our best, focusing on self-acceptance or even telling ourselves that we don’t care what others think of us doesn’t erase it. We cannot fix ourselves.
SANCTIFIED
What we need is to be sanctified by someone else, someone perfect. To be sanctified is to be made right, holy, good and thereby acceptable. We need to shift from seeking acceptability in our own eyes or the eyes of the world and instead in the eyes of our Father. That is what Christ did for us on the cross. He not only sanctified us in the beginning but continues to do that for us now (I John 2:1-2). It’s what C.S Lewis called “passive righteousness.” Ongoing sanctification cleanses our conscience of guilt and shame, becoming the source of actual and felt acceptance with a clean conscience (I Corinthians 4:4) that then changes us from the inside out, leading to the pursuit of active righteousness. This produces an obedience whose source is faith in Christ’s sanctifying work (Romans 1:5).
CHRIST OUR BROTHER
“One source” in our verse today means “all are one” in the Greek. The NIV translates it, “are of the same family”. Jesus gladly without feeling any embarrassment or shame calls us his brothers and sisters. He can do so because He bore the shame of our sins on the cross, with His Father abandoning Him (Mark 15:34), so we could then be included in His family. He sees how we mess up today, and He is not ashamed of us but draws near to us. His holiness becomes our holiness through family association by grace. The Holy Spirit, whom Jesus relied on while on this earth, is the same Spirit who resides in every believer to help us remember not just who we are – followers of Christ – but whose we are – children of a loving, forgiving heavenly father. We are God’s family.
Make It Personal: In whose eyes are you trying to find approval? What shame are you still carrying and hiding? Will you let Jesus sanctify you? Do you see what it cost Jesus to sanctify you? Will you let go of curating a self-esteem so you can enjoy the esteem of being included in the family of God. He sees you and adores you and he has the only eyes that ultimately matter.
Pray: Heavenly Father, send Your Spirit to help me to remember that You did not spare Your own son so I could become Your child, holy and pleasing to You. Let me rest in the promise of Your delight. Amen.
Read: Colossians 1:22-23; I John 2:1-2; Romans 8:14-16; Galatians 3:26-27; Zephaniah 3:17
Weekly Memory Verse: “Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” Leviticus 20:8, ESV