John 17:17 (ESV): Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
 

So, we are investigating the implications of the prayer for sanctification Jesus offers to the Father on behalf of those given to him by the Father. 
 

We understand that Jesus is praying smack dab into the will of the Father. In other words, Jesus is not asking the Father to do something the Father does not intend to do. 
 

I used the imagery of gold taken out of the ground and used for a higher purpose in the last devotional. Allow me to distinguish between what I have said and what I am going to say. 
 

There is another side to sanctification. That which is sanctified is placed into an elevated environment, not simply for usefulness but also stature.
 

Jesus is not praying to make them useful so that they can become holy. Our holiness does not come from our usefulness. What a horrible conundrum to find yourself in if you believe your holiness is tied to your usefulness to God.
 

You are not sanctified by service; you are sanctified by presence, the presence of the Holy Spirit in you. It starts at the cross. The presence of Jesus on the cross, the presence of the knowledge of the cross in you – and then the presence of the Holy Spirit in you activating you toward good works. 
 

The sanctification of your life occurs as you yield to the Lord. 
 

Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 
 

Please do not try to do more things for God, believing that God is doing more in you by your doing more. You will be drawn deeper into striving, the end is spiritual exasperation, and condemnation shot out at others. 
 

Time with him in the scriptures, praying, and talking to him is what he uses to sanctify you—taking time to hear his voice and then doing what he says will produce the needed ingredients for sanctification. When you make time for the Lord, he will invest in your life.
 

Trying to do things for God without making time to be with God leads to self-motivated religion and will eventually cause division wherever you are. Because rather than submitting to God and the authority he has hand-picked for that time and place, you will be led by what you think ought to be. Running in tandem with God is a significant struggle in people’s lives. 
 

In sanctification, God moves people into alignment together. That is why unity and sanctification are both topics of the prayer of Jesus in this chapter of the Bible.
 

I could write devotionals all day long and never stop to have fellowship with the Lord. Fellowship with me is what he wants more than anything I can do for him. The devotionals I would write wouldn’t be for him, even though they would be about him. How could God possibly bless that?
 

To be sanctified is to be placed in a higher place and realm. The gold is fashioned into a ring and placed onto the hand of the one it was for. In our sanctification, we are taken from the dirt and placed into relationship with God forever.
 

We are raised up out of the earth and placed into a new home. Be in the home, live there, and let the presence and the promises permeate your being. Learn what it means to be a citizen of that place, and then let the Lord lead you to do something for him. You will be much healthier. This is the sanctification that Jesus is praying for in John 17:17.
 

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 
 

Father, today we ask that you sanctify us through our relationship with you. Lord, there is nothing we can do for you apart from you that would make you love us more. We confess trying to do things for you that would make you want to bless us. Our blessing comes from our fellowship with you, and out of that comes your direction for our lives. Lord, we see this in the life of your Son Jesus. Help us to be just like him. Jesus, thank you for the example you gave us and for your great sacrifice on the cross for our sin. 
 

Can you see anything you are trying to do to become sanctified by God? Is there a pushback inside of you toward God as he draws you into his Word, prayer, and fellowship with him? Confess that to him and watch what he does. 

Blessings,
Pastor D