My hope = God's glory

So in the previous 4 posts I’ve established that (according to one source) there are 5 primary ways we reflect God’s glory.

1. In our worship
2. As we are transformed
3. As we love others
4. As we serve others
5. As we testify to others

I’ve also established that I am hopelessly incapable of effectively carrying these things out in my life on a regular basis or in a meaningful way. However, I claim that although I cannot do these things, I still have hope. Where does that hope lie? It lies in my relationship with Jesus Christ.

The simple fact is that apart from Christ none of us can please God. The Bible says that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). It also says that in God’s sight “our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). God knows that on our own, we are hopelessly bankrupt and incapable of righteous acts, and thus incapable of bringing him glory, for it is through our good deeds (specifically the 5 types of deeds listed above) that we direct people to God (see Matthew 5:16).

But if we are in relationship with Christ, then we have the secret weapon! What is the secret you ask, well the Bible says that “this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing in his glory” (Colossians 1:27, emphasis added). You see we can share in God’s glory, reflecting it to those around us because “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23).

Paul put it this way, “…I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God…” (Galatians 2:20).

I have come to believe… No, I have come to base all my beliefs on the idea that Christ lives in me, and that by his indwelling Spirit, I can be transformed (Romans 12:2). If you truly knew me now, and truly knew me before I met Christ, this transformation alone would be enough for you to see the glory of God. But since you aren’t privileged to have that point of view, I am trusting that in the transformation process you will be able to see me worship, testify, serve, and even love others as the Spirit so enables.

“But eagerly desire the greater [spiritual] gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:31).

What I can do today

Lately I have really been struggling with what God’s plan is for my life. I think this primarily comes from dissatisfaction in my job, coupled with a high time commitment at work that prevents me from becoming more involved in activities outside of work (i.e. I’m burned out). I have given a lot of thought to cutting back at work, and have contemplated everything from a minor job change (same job, just different collateral responsibilities) to going back to school and completely changing fields.

I have spent a lot of time in prayer about this, and have looked in the scriptures and other Christian books quite a bit, but haven’t really found a solid leading about where I should go. However, today it struck me that I am slowing piecing the puzzle together:

1) I think I’ve been too focused on the long term. I have been worrying about what I should do with the rest of my life, and not focusing on things I can do right now. If I work for God today, staying in his will for my life today, and do that every day… Well, my life will work itself out, won’t it?

2) Awhile back I thought I would gain good insights about God’s plan for my life by taking a Spiritual Gifts survey. When I finished it, I ended up with my three highest scored (by far) gifts being: giving, faith, and wisdom (in that order). This frustrated me even more than before I took the survey. I felt that God was telling me to just sit back and give my money away while trusting that he’ll take care of the rest; not exactly what I was looking for with regard to my life plan!

So today, while I was staining our deck, I finally stopped sulking about my apparent lack of gifts just long enough for God to start working on me. I found myself (quite by accident) honestly considering what someone with the gift of faith can do. I started thinking about monks. Now, I think my wife and kids might have a problem with me quitting my job and moving to a monastery so that’s obviously out. So then I started thinking about what monks did (and perhaps still do???) They read, meditated on their readings, prayed and wrote about what God had reviled to them.

I still don’t know what God has planned for me in the long term, but the things that monks did, these are things that I can do, right now. Meditation comes naturally to me (part of my gift of wisdom I guess), and reading and praying is something that I try to discipline myself to do often. This blog gives me an outlet where I can write. I don’t know if anyone will read it, let alone benefit from what I write, but for now, I can do this, and trust God to lead me forward from here.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” (Matthew 6:34)

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)