What’s Your Story? Part 3

Into the Glorious

First of all let me say Happy New Year to anyone who is reading. I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas holiday and that you feel rejuvenated and ready to face a new year with hope and expectation for good things.

I had a lovely relaxing holiday, why thank you!

I didn’t write over the holidays because firstly, I was too busy “chillaxing” and secondly I’ve had a scripture and some thoughts wandering around my mind and they weren’t very Christmassy themed, so I allowed them to ruminate until now.

I want to continue on in the “What’s Your Story?” theme. Already I have contemplated how we all have a story; we are all mid story; that Jesus can be the author of a good story when we give the story over to Him and that each of us has a unique story.

Last time I considered as an example, my left-handedness as a small part of the unique way I am made in which to fulfil my unique story.

However, at this point I have to be completely honest; I still couldn’t really say that I understand what my unique story is going to look like. I know some of the ways I am unique; I know some of the roles that I fill; but I still couldn’t say that I know the main story line of this story of mine.

But here’s the scripture and idea that I’ve been brooding over in my mind and soul throughout the holidays.

Ephesians 1:11 The Message

“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.”

This is the key to finding out who I am and what I’m made for!

Over the last week I have sat down to write rough copies of this post and each time it has gotten quite bogged down in lots of big Bible themes and scripture references  that have made my temples pulse and my brain ache. I think I heard God say to me, “Keep it simple.” So that’s what I’ll try to do.

Fundamentally I believe that it is only in knowing Christ Jesus, that we can fully understand our true identity and purpose for living: That only by having a vibrant, close friendship with Him will we ever see the full extent of our potential fulfilled.

In Ephesians 1:15-19 the apostle Paul prays for the Christians in the Ephesians church, that God would make them:-

“intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, (their) eyes focused and clear, so that they can see exactly what it is he is calling (them) to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him-endless energy, boundless strength!”

If I’m going to have a clear idea of my identity and my purpose, then I need to be intelligent and discerning in knowing Jesus personally. I need to put some thought and focus into knowing who He is and not so much focus on who I am. This shift in focal point sounds counter intuitive to the job in hand, which is finding out my identity and purpose. Yet that is so often how kingdom principles work.

I love how Paul uses the word “calling” in verse 18 to express the idea of identity and purpose. We use this word often to describe someone who has “found their calling in life”; we think that it is to do with finding a job that we love or that we are good at. However the calling Paul is depicting clearly in Ephesians is a very literal use of the word “calling”. For there to be a calling suggests that someone or something has called.

The Apostle Paul proposes very clearly that The One calling is “God of our master, Jesus Christ.” He doesn’t just call us to do something when we become a Christian and become a friend of God. He has always been calling us.

Ephesians 1:12 says

“Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.”

It also says in verse 10

“He set it all our before us in Christ, a long range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.”

We could debate all day long about predestination, fate, destiny, free will and choice. For me, I choose to believe these words at face value. God had his eye on me long before I even knew about him; and he had a design for me long before I even knew anything about myself. He wrote the blueprint long before I even looked in his direction.

I get a thrill when I echo Paul’s prayer that I might “grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers”. Could it really be true that God had designs on us for “glorious living”?

The word glory is to do with grandeur, splendour, majesty and honour, but in the Bible it is always described in terms of weight. Weight suggests importance, substance and significance with a touch of the mysterious and extraordinary.

In Exodus 40:34-35 when God’s presence came down and filled the meeting place that the children of Israel prepared for him, his presence was like a heavy cloud that filled the tent leaving room for no one else, not even Moses. This presence was his glory and it was weighty and dense.

Think of a set of old-fashioned scales like my granda used to have in his grocery shop. Granda would put the metal weights on one side and the item for weighing on the other side and then balance the two sides to get the required weight. The two weights are put side by side in comparison.

Romans 8:18 NIV I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Can you imagine weighing up all the tough stuff in your life on a set of scales and on the other side is the glory God wants to reveal in you? There is no comparison! The scales will always tip in favour of the glory. It is weighty stuff!

My point is this.  We were made for glorious living. That’s the plan that God always had for us from the beginning of time. Romans 3:23 says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and for this shortfall God sent His only Son, Jesus, so now we can enter into that glory that He meant for us. Your life and mine were made for things of importance, substance, significance and mystery.

The last point I want to consider is how our identity and purpose fits in to the bigger picture. We were never made to live by ourselves or for ourselves. How boring that would be! We were made for so much more!

Again, Ephesians 1:10 says

…. (he) had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.”

Furthermore Ephesians 2:10-13 says

He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing…Now because of Christ-dying that death, shedding that blood-you who were once out of it altogether are in on everything.”

I am convinced that God has a good plan and purpose for me and for you even if it is not plain to see right now. From Ephesians I can see that the way for us to find out that perfect plan is not by finding out more about ourselves but rather by finding out and knowing personally more about Jesus. So, if anything, this is my New Year’s Resolution- not to know more about Him but to know Him (Jesus) more. In the words of Paul to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 2:1 NIV “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified”.

I am convinced that in knowing Him more we will, in turn, find out more about who we are and what it is we are living for. I am confident He is calling us into the glorious!

Consider some of the lyrics from this song,  Into the Glorious by Christy Nockels

“I was made for more than this world could offer me. My heart to hold true mystery…

I can hear You calling. Inviting me in. Into the glorious.

I was made to build my life on the things unseen…”

Listen to it here.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN2zaMO8OK4