When Jesus came into my life about forty years ago, one of the first principles God gave me from His Word is that He would use all things that happen to me, good or bad, to transform me into the image of His Son (Romans 8:28-29). This stuck and has become a life purpose. In combination with another verse, I see it also as a calling.
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours. . . . (1 Corinthians 1:2)I’ve tried being an artist, a Bible scholar, a writer and a quilter. I’m a wife, mother, grandmother, even a great-grandmother. I’m a fair cook and can do many other things reasonably well, but my calling is none of these temporary things. Instead I am called to be a saint.
The Roman Catholic church has a different notion of saints than what I get from Scripture. Because of their definition, many think that a saint is someone who is an exemplary model Christian, or an extraordinary teacher, wonder worker or source of benevolent power. This definition certainly includes those who intercede for others and adds selfless, ascetic behavior that often includes refusing material attachments or comforts. These are special people who might also possess some sort of special revelation regarding holiness.
No doubt some people exist who fit this description, but when Paul’s salutation to the church at Corinth is followed by reading the entire book, these Christians he called saints do not fit. He said they were quarreling and living far less holy lives than their calling. Also, even his greeting defines saints as those who call upon the name of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It is about every believer, not just a few who are special.
This means that I am a saint, certainly not a perfect one, but this is my calling and the goal of my life, both for now and eternity. The other interests and abilities are useful and perhaps arenas where God can use me, but when I grow up, I want to be like Jesus — and that is what God calls me to. It is His supreme goal for me.
Today I also read how God uses the blows of life to turn His people into the shape of this vision that He has for us. He works to make this calling of sainthood both our destiny and a present reality. The author explains that we are not quite prepared for the blows which must come if we are going to be saints, and that these batterings always come in commonplace ways and through commonplace people.
I experienced this on Sunday, but also yesterday and no doubt will today. While I’d love to focus only of this lofty vision He has for me, I cannot live in that pie-in-the-sky world. This would render me useless in the ordinary stuff of human life. And this is where the wonderful aspiration of sainthood meets the reality of daily experience. As the devotional reading says, the little ‘I am’ always sulks when God tells me to be saintly. Instead, I’m to let that little ‘I am’ be shriveled up in God’s indignation — “I AM THAT I AM hath sent thee.”
To be a saint, the Lord Jesus Christ must dominate. This is not about the pleasure of being a nice little old lady that everyone hugs, and who smiles without trials because her days are always sunny. Instead, sainthood is about being an obedient servant of God who does what He asks me to do, both in the tough situations (where obedience is often easier) and the ordinary daily things where obedience may not seem as important. It is about accepting the batterings and allowing Him to shape me. It is about loving Him no matter what life hands me.
*******
Father, I am on a short holiday with my husband. I’ve no great assignments, nothing that seems vital other than daily prayer and being loving to him, polite to strangers, and helpful when necessary. Yet You are still throwing challenges at me to live up to my calling. Obedience to You and attention to what You want me to become is always important to You. Saints do not have vacations.
No comments:
Post a Comment