Bible Passage: “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NIV)
Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
Metaphorically speaking, how broad are your shoulders? How much can you carry? How much do you pretend you can carry?
Ever stop to think about why men can feel this way?
We’re trained to think that we should be able to handle…well, everything. Admitting that something may be a bit (or a lot) beyond us doesn’t feel good. Somehow, acknowledging that there are some things in life for which our shoulders are not up to the task makes us feel less. We should take some training, dig deeper, and try harder.
But there are some things we simply cannot accomplish.
Working harder at becoming more and more like Jesus is one of those things. We can find our faults; we can adopt practices that shave away the roughness in our character, leaving us somewhat smoother and shinier for our efforts. However, this never goes far enough and often does not last. Our effort is important, but not enough to get us there.
Fortunately, we are not alone in that effort. Self-made is neither a formula nor a guarantee for sanctification.
God is there to share the load. Better still, to take the lion’s share of the responsibility for our development. Through His work in our lives, we are sanctified through and through. God does not quit before the work is done. He leaves no part of us untouched and unrefined into the character of Jesus.
Through and through is both the limit and the extent of God’s sanctifying work in our lives.
When frustration claws deep furrows into your mind and heart, tempting you to abandon the efforts at improvement, that you simply can’t seem to make any progress in your character, remember—the load is God’s to carry. That burden is meant to be shared with the One who created us and is recreating us into the image of His Son.
Prayer: God, I’m so grateful that You are the one who is molding me and remaking me. My efforts often fall very short of righteousness. Help me to patiently rest in Your work in my heart and life. Amen.
Reflection: What area of your life can you invite God into so that He can carry the load with you?
Copyright © 2026 Impactus. All rights reserved.
About
