Have you ever been in an old cathedral when the sun was shining through one of its stained-glass windows? When you looked at that window, its colors reflected the sun’s rays so brilliantly that you were awestruck. In some ways that window is like the vision God has for his church.
His desire from all time was that we would be a reflection of himself and a beacon of his light, love, and power to a darkened world.
Like the Israelites, we are called to be set apart for God, “a people peculiarly his own” (Deuteronomy 26:18). And the good news is that,
because of Jesus’ cross and resurrection,
we are now empowered to actually live out that calling!
So why, when we look at our lives and the life of the church, do we see so many flaws?
Maybe the answer lies in another question: How are you doing in embracing God’s call for your life? Perhaps you could make it into a “mission statement” that will both inspire you and give you clear guidance.
The world’s best motivational experts tell us that in order to achieve success, we must look to our goals on a regular basis and see how our lives stack up against them.
St. Paul would agree, for he says,
“I continue my pursuit toward the goal,
the prize of God’s upward calling,
in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
Of course, we all fall short; that’s why it’s good to review our goals from time to time. We need to see where we can improve—but even more importantly, we need to see where we can ask the Holy Spirit to work more deeply in us.
Simply trying to make ourselves holy can take us only so far, because only God
can fulfill what he has planned for us.
Remember: In Christ you are already holy. The challenge now is to yield to the Lord so that he can make you in practice what you already are according to his vision. As you examine your life and open yourself to the power of his cross, you will see changes you never thought possible.
*** God would never have given you such a vision***
*** if he didn’t already ***
see it in your future!
