2 Thessalonians 2:14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
One thing I do miss about church is the Pot Luck dinners. That vast array of casseroles all laid out before you, So much food and so little time. But it was the fellowship that took place around the tables that made Pot Luck dinners so special. You had the chance to talk with your brothers and sisters in Christ that was longer than the standard greeting. You got to know them more.
Now things just seem to get catered. We seem to be too busy for the simple pleasures of life, sitting around a table and chatting. Now part of what I miss might still be happening in smaller churches. We have to work hard to make these smaller gatherings happen.
Paul writes that these believers have become the “firstfruits”of God’s work in the Gospel. The became early followers of Jesus, early adopters of this new way of life. The Holy Spirit worked in them, changing them, making them resemble their Creator to a greater and greater degree.
We are made in the image of God, but that image has been marred throughout history, both personal history and world history. Sin has been allowed to do its dirty work, sometimes without restraint. But the Holy Spirit has worked in His people, those who believed the truth proclaimed in His Word.
It is this Holy Spirit work of setting aside a people, distinct from the world, commissioned to represent Him, that these believers participate in as they responded to the Gospel. This is their calling. This is what they were designed to accomplish here on planet Earth.
And when that participation with the work of the Holy Spirit happens, then we share in God’s glory. When we are living as we should, we step into a room, and the room responds to God’s presence in us. They see the LORD in that moment, not the earthen vessel, the jar of clay. God gets the glory.
It is an amazing thing when the LORD shows up through a human vessel. It is as if the light of heaven shines through our earthly lightbulb. No one notices the lightbulb, only the light that emanates from it. People see the LORD without even noticing us. We fade into the background as the LORD does His work and receives the honor due His Name.
Our lives are not our own. He has a purpose for our existence here on Earth. We yield to His direction here and now, and we get His presence, not only now, but for eternity. Our choices now determine our position in eternity, whether with Him or without Him.
Just as our choices now determine whether or not His presence is active in our lives, so our choices now determine our eternity. The trajectory we choose now determines where we end up for eternity, in God’s presence or apart from Him. And I don’t want Him to be absent throughout eternity.
The choice to share in God’s glory now is exciting. To be part of what He is doing in this world, the working out of His plan for humanity and the universe; this is exciting. It is also extremely humbling, that He would use us, creatures working with the Creator. Wow, what an opportunity of a lifetime. And I thought Pot Luck dinners were good!
The Arnold Journey 