Thursday, October 26, 2023

         There is an old expression that says, “please be patient with me because God is not finished with me yet.”  We could probably all say that about ourselves.  We realize that we are not at the finish line of faith and discipleship; there is more work, much more work perhaps, that God has to do in us.  Most of the time we can recognize what the remaining work is.  God often has some pruning and nurturing to do.  There are things to be stripped away and added.  In his own words, Peter wrote about the work that God is doing.  He wrote, “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4-5).  Just a few verses later, he added, “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:10).  Removing and adding.  Shaping and reshaping.  God is at work in the lives of those He has redeemed and saved by his grace.  We can identify a few lessons that Peter has for us to see.
            First, God is building us into a “spiritual house” or, as some Bibles say, a “spiritual temple.”  He is transforming us to be people, vessels and vehicles through which His work can go forward.  We are to be temples for the Holy Spirit who comes to reside with us following our conversion experience.  God wants us to be His light to the world around us.  Through us, God desires to reach and draw people to His grace and salvation.  Peter used the expression “are being built” to indicate that God is engaged in an ongoing work that is not finished.  Indeed, He continues this work in His people faithfully and consistently. 
            Second, God is working and building purposefully.  His goal or ambition is to make us into a spiritual house or holy priesthood.  He is engaged in building a new community of believers who can serve His will and purposes.  We call this community the Church.  A holy priesthood means we are devoted to serving the Lord above all other pursuits or possibilities.  You may have a job or hobbies or volunteering opportunities.  But these things are simply vehicles for doing the greater work of serving God and revealing Him to others.  A job is not the end game for a believer.  A volunteering role is not the final goal either.  The way we use and spend our time and energy are simply means to a greater end which is serving the Lord God and declaring His greatness, grace and glory to unbelieving folks around us.
            Third, Peter used the words “once...but now.”  This expression helps us to see where God has worked and where God has changed us.  God might not be finished with us yet but He has certainly done some incredible work in the lives of believers.  He has ransomed us from Satan and sin.  He has set us free from the chains of rebellion and defiance.  He has come to dwell in us.  And He has called us to know and walk with Him by faith and trust.  We can probably all look back and say “once I was this, but now I am
that.”  Such a change is a powerful testimony to God’s redemptive and creative power.  Think for a moment about what you once were.  Think about where God has led you.  If you cannot see a clear division between what used to be and what now is, then it might be time to consider whether you have surrendered to the Lord fully by faith and believe that He alone is your Lord, Savior and King.  A basic faith testimony or faith story usually centers around who we used to be, what God did for us to save us and what we have become thanks to His grace.  Paul wrote about how God had worked in his life to shape the message that he would proclaim for the balance of his days as an apostle to the Gentiles, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:2-5).  As Paul wrote, God’s grace and power can overcome our weaknesses, fears, trembling and human wisdom.  Our frailties can become strengths. 
            And fourth, we learn from Peter’s own words that we have been blessed with God’s mercy.  “Once we had not received mercy...but now we have received mercy.”  We have experienced the fullness of God’s pardon and forgiveness.  He has given us more than we could ask for, expect or deserve.  He has not treated us as we have earned or merited.  We are showered in and by His mercy.  We could all likely share blessings and gifts that we have neither earned nor deserved.  We can cite plenty of examples where God has showered us with good things and grace.  The Kingdom of God is filled with examples of people who once were something but now have been made into something else. 
            Recognizing what God has done, we are encouraged to love and serve Him all the more.  In Paul’s words, we are to stay in the fight, finish the race and keep our faith all the way to the end (2 Timothy 4:7-8).  Some days may feel or seem especially long.  While many other days will feel like a breeze by comparison.  But we remember what we once were and what we now are.  We also remember that God is God over the easy days and the challenging ones.  Have a great Thursday! Make plans to join us for Bible study and worship on Sunday!  Remember our Baptist Men are selling tickets for their always delicious Brunswick Stew.  And we are collecting shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child!