There is no other way to the Father than through the Son. In Jesus rests the forgiveness God gifted to those who believe in Him for the remission of sin and the hope of the world to come. Christ within is the hope of glory and we are sanctified by our faith in Him.
Acts 20:32 “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
We wait patiently for the restoration of His creation that will be fulfilled in His return!
A sanctuary is a place that restores us. Renews us. Refreshes us. And reminds us of what is really important. A sanctuary reminds us that we are enough, and that we are owned by God's bounty and abundance of grace and rest.
Where is your sanctuary?
When we narrow our focus only to our plans or our expectations, we miss so much of life. And our spirit is diminished if we are afraid to acknowledge that life is bigger and wilder and more splendid and more unpredictable and more marvelous—whether in the midst of chaos or at the very heart of the mundane.
So, here's the deal. Sanctuary is not about where (as if it is only some magical place we retreat to). Sanctuary is about what happens. In other words, sanctuary is already within us. Which means that wherever we go, we can take sanctuary with us, which gives us the permission and courage to embrace life—wholeheartedly—even in the middle of the storms, or the undone, or the complicated, or the prickly, or the unplanned.
And with it...
...the permission to pause
...the permission to choose
...the freedom to give grace
...and the freedom to receive grace.
Sabbath Moments
I believe that the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love. Wendell Berry
James 5:8 (ESV) You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand."
As we patiently wait for His return, we, too, depend on the Lord. We face circumstances and suffering that are beyond our control, but we have faith that the Lord will provide all we need (Romans 8:32; Philippians 4:19).
Our Savior stood firm as He set His focus on His mission to endure the cross for our salvation (Luke 18:31-33). As we wait with patience, we now stand firm and establish our hearts with a steadfast focus on His return. First5
Acts 26:12-18
12 “While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, 13 at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ The New King James Version
Like a stubborn animal attempting to fight the sticks used as prods, Paul cannot succeed in fighting against God. Paul records what Jesus said to him on the road to Damascus, elaborating both on the earlier account in Acts and what he has previously articulated during his former trials. It articulates the idea that those who do not belong to Christ are in many ways influenced by evil and as such opposed to God’s purposes. Faithlife Study Bible
A young ox, when it was first yoked, usually resented the burden and tried kicking its way out. If the ox was yoked to a single-handed plow, the plowman would hold a long staff with a sharpened end close to the heels of the ox. Every time the ox kicked, it struck the spike. If the ox was yoked to a wagon, a studded bar with wooden spikes served the same purpose. The point was that the ox had to learn submission to the yoke the hard way. Before his encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road, Paul was resisting God in a similar manner. The NKJV Study Bible
Paul was made a Christian by Divine power; by a revelation of Christ both to him and in him; when in the full career of his sin. He was made a minister by Divine authority. The same Jesus who appeared to him in that glorious light, ordered him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. A world that sits in darkness must be enlightened; those must be brought to know the things that belong to their everlasting peace, who are yet ignorant of them.
A world that lies in wickedness must be sanctified and reformed; it is not enough for them to have their eyes opened, they must have their hearts renewed; not enough to be turned from darkness to light, but they must be turned from the power of Satan unto God. All who are turned from sin to God, are not only pardoned, but have a grant of a rich inheritance. The forgiveness of sins makes way for this. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Acts 9:1–19 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem…
Acts 22:6–16 “Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’…
Isaiah 35:5
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Isaiah 42:7
To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
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