January 19, 2016 A GREATER PURPOSE
Ephesians 2:19-22: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you are also being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”
We tend to get near-sighted and focused on the here and now and we lose sight of the big picture of what God is doing. How true it is true that the “tyranny of the urgent” can rob us, causing us to miss the big picture. A vision of what’s bigger and greater than what we presently see, serves as a motivating force in the here and now. For example, because Thomas Edison could “see” the great benefit of having an electric light bulb, he spent countless hours in his quest to invent the light bulb-he was not distracted or deterred by present circumstances. As believers, we above all people, have the opportunity to not only see what God is doing, but we also have the priviledge of participating in what He is doing-we are part of what He is doing. In the scriptures above, we see that we are no longer strangers who have no identity or purpose, but we, along with others have been placed in God’s household. God is in the process-right now-of fitting us together for a purpose. God is constructing a temple that defies description-a place where He will dwell among His people. We must not see ourselves as “loners”, because God does not see us that way-he sees us as family. We also need to see that there is not a dis-connect between the present and the future. Today, God is already busy building this temple, and part of the building process is Him getting us ready, transforming us, so that we fit perfectly into His temple-His dwelling place. The commands that God gives us are not given only to benefit us here and now, but His commands are given to prepare us and get us ready for that great and coming day when He calls us to be with Him in heaven. This is a mystery, but we must know that while we are being prepared, being fitted together for God’s plans in the future, we are already a part of His household and God already dwells among His people in the Spirit. We, the church, are the bride of Christ, and as the bride, we are to be making ourselves ready for His return. The present is to be spent making our selves ready-this truth gives us an entirely new view of life. In Revelation 19:7 we read: “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage supper of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” The fact that there is rejoicing in heaven because the bride has made herself ready, should be reason enough for us to have as a priority that of making ourselves ready. I believe that God, and all of heaven are anxiously awaiting the “marriage supper of the Lamb,” and the timing of this awesome event is somehow tied to the bride making herself ready. Is there anything greater, more exciting, more motivating than that of making ourselves ready for this incredible marriage supper of the Lamb? Making ourselves ready is a daily affair, and it may not seem like a big deal at the time, but as we express or exercise our new nature, as we carry out the commands that God has given to us, we are indeed making our selves ready. Let us not take lightly being placed in God’s household and let us be in the process of making ourselves ready by expressing who we are in Christ and obeying all that our Lord has said. For those who know the Lord, there is a fantastic event coming-the marriage supper of the Lamb-we can only try to imagine how awesome this event will be! Because we are already in His household, let us make sure that we are making ourselves ready by working with the Lord as He is in the process of transforming us.
Colossians 3:1-3: “If you then have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Blessings,
Buddy
Ephesians 2:19-22: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you are also being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”
We tend to get near-sighted and focused on the here and now and we lose sight of the big picture of what God is doing. How true it is true that the “tyranny of the urgent” can rob us, causing us to miss the big picture. A vision of what’s bigger and greater than what we presently see, serves as a motivating force in the here and now. For example, because Thomas Edison could “see” the great benefit of having an electric light bulb, he spent countless hours in his quest to invent the light bulb-he was not distracted or deterred by present circumstances. As believers, we above all people, have the opportunity to not only see what God is doing, but we also have the priviledge of participating in what He is doing-we are part of what He is doing. In the scriptures above, we see that we are no longer strangers who have no identity or purpose, but we, along with others have been placed in God’s household. God is in the process-right now-of fitting us together for a purpose. God is constructing a temple that defies description-a place where He will dwell among His people. We must not see ourselves as “loners”, because God does not see us that way-he sees us as family. We also need to see that there is not a dis-connect between the present and the future. Today, God is already busy building this temple, and part of the building process is Him getting us ready, transforming us, so that we fit perfectly into His temple-His dwelling place. The commands that God gives us are not given only to benefit us here and now, but His commands are given to prepare us and get us ready for that great and coming day when He calls us to be with Him in heaven. This is a mystery, but we must know that while we are being prepared, being fitted together for God’s plans in the future, we are already a part of His household and God already dwells among His people in the Spirit. We, the church, are the bride of Christ, and as the bride, we are to be making ourselves ready for His return. The present is to be spent making our selves ready-this truth gives us an entirely new view of life. In Revelation 19:7 we read: “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage supper of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” The fact that there is rejoicing in heaven because the bride has made herself ready, should be reason enough for us to have as a priority that of making ourselves ready. I believe that God, and all of heaven are anxiously awaiting the “marriage supper of the Lamb,” and the timing of this awesome event is somehow tied to the bride making herself ready. Is there anything greater, more exciting, more motivating than that of making ourselves ready for this incredible marriage supper of the Lamb? Making ourselves ready is a daily affair, and it may not seem like a big deal at the time, but as we express or exercise our new nature, as we carry out the commands that God has given to us, we are indeed making our selves ready. Let us not take lightly being placed in God’s household and let us be in the process of making ourselves ready by expressing who we are in Christ and obeying all that our Lord has said. For those who know the Lord, there is a fantastic event coming-the marriage supper of the Lamb-we can only try to imagine how awesome this event will be! Because we are already in His household, let us make sure that we are making ourselves ready by working with the Lord as He is in the process of transforming us.
Colossians 3:1-3: “If you then have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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