For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control your own body in holiness and honor, 5 not with lustful passion, like the gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one wrong or exploit a brother or sister in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just as we have already told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever rejects this rejects not human authority but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-9

As I read I see the words sanctification, impurity and rejection.  The passage lists 3 things that are the will of God. These are some of the things that we should do if we are carrying out the will of God

1. That we abstain from sexual immorality
2. learn how to control our behaviour. Recently I learnt that lust is not always asexual, but it is being given to excesses. It is about being overbearing. When you are too much, you see it as being passionate but others see it otherwise.  Paul like most of us see our ability to control our sexual urges as paramount in maintaining our sacredness. 
4. Paul says we shouldn’t exploit our brothers and sisters in this matter.  What matter? I smile as I think he is not specifically referring to sexual exploitation even as the paragraph speaks to it as a major problem in this community. They are no different from us today who live in an world with sexual overtones bombarding us daily. Then there are those of us preoccupied with sexual sins.

These three things make us hallowed. I say hallowed because holiness has many connotations and sometimes I really don’t know what people mean or what they want me to understand when they use the word.  Many times I believe that holiness puts them in an untouchable bubble. Whatever they do is good and right because they are holy, because they are sanctified.  I think of the abuse in church by Pastors. Those who use their holiness to coerce women, girls and boys to give into their selfish sexual desires.

Sanctification and holiness means being sacred. It means holding all things as blessed and consecrated by God for specific tasks.  This is the orderliness of creation. Each life form carrying out its own activities while at the same time being in harmony with others. It is living your life and being respectful of others as they see fit.  It is respect and reverence all in one.  It is us reflecting Christ and The Christ in us reaching out to the Christ in others.  This I know doesn’t come naturally. It must be cultivated and practiced.

Paul in saying “not like the gentiles” is saying the life of the gentiles is not our life.  We are called to a specific way of life, a life of hallowedness, a life grounded in the principles and precepts – teachings and guidelines of God. It does not mean that we should consider ourselves better than others or more entitled to God’s favour. It does not mean that others should see us as favoured and therefore favour us.  Living the life the Jesus way comes with no entitlement. It comes with an assurance of pardon and a faithful God.  Whatever we are facing we have seen before at some other time in varying degrees of discomfort.  God saw us through before God will see us through again.  We just put our hands in the hand of the man who calm the seas. He will calm our hearts.

Let us pray,

We are thankful for your support O God. We thank you for the guidance of Jesus Christ who shows us the way of holiness. Help to develop our Christ like nature to be in awe of you. Enable us to recognize that we are always standing on hallow ground as you are always with us on this journey. Grant us openness to the movement of the Holy Spirit in us giving us the energy and courage to always do your will. We pray for courage strength to be sacred and to treat others with that same level of sacredness. Amen