Part of God's Future 

 

By Rev. Tom Tuura

Pastor of Christ Lutheran Church

 

One might ask what it would be like to be in the Bible.  I mean, like a Zachaeus, or Nicodemus, the woman at the well.  Well, we all will be in the Bible, even the lost.

 

Are we part of God's great future?

 

This question is not necessarily what you think.  I'm not asking if you are going to heaven.  Although I earnestly hope and pray you are.   In addition to heaven, we need to see ourselves in a couple of ways.  We need to obediently see ourselves in the fulfillment of the Great Commission.      

We also need to see ourselves in the clouds meeting Jesus in the air.  We should see ourselves as heaven's throng in white robes, and yes, even as persecuted and martyred souls under the altar in  the book of Revelation.  Remember, a very large part of the Bible is prophetic.  And that means a good percentage of prophetic is yet future.  We are reading about future events, events that we will be experiencing “from the playing field” so to speak.

  

This is what I mean by God's great future.  Isn't it exciting?

How tragic it is when we see our lives, just in terms of ourselves, right now.  We pray, dear God help me to get my car started.  Dear God help us to get this crop in.  Dear God help me on this test, or to be successful in this sale.  Dear God please bless what I'm doing.  Too many of us see God as our 'personal assistant'.  Or, we pray, forgive me for this, or that sin, and help me to do better—God the EMT.

Don't get me wrong, those are all legitimate prayers,  after all, Luke 18:1 tells us we “ought always to pray and not to give up.”  And it says, “Pray without ceasing”, (I Thess. 5:17).  God does care about helping us get our car started, etc.  But He cares so much more.  God is never afraid to allow even misery in the short term, because He has our long term good in view.

But when our focus is only on today's trials and challenges, and never, or rarely on seeking God's overall will, then we are not part of God's future—directly.

That's why God allows trials, sometimes severe trials, into our lives. “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials” (James 1:2)  On the other hand, God allows some to have their way like the stubborn Israelites, who were ungrateful, and complainers, God allowed them to have their way, but brought leanness to their soul. (Psalm 106:15).  There are much worse things than to not have trials.  Some comfortably sail into oblivion, lost and deceived—rich and comfortable.

If we are lucky, God allows trials and difficulties, “thorns in the flesh”, and even people who are trials, to get us out of the God is my personal assistant, or God the EMT mode.

God wants you and I in another mode.  He wants us in a “God, I am yours, I'll do/be what you want” mode.  

I notice the Scriptures teach us that we need to be in the disciple mode.  Scripture knows of no “faith mode” that asks God to bless your busy agenda on your terms.”  People say their “faith” is important to them.  Maybe that's the problem, its “their” faith.

The proper view is a balance between the short term, urgent needs, and His long term sovereign plan.  And we are back to seeing ourselves in God's future?

I stated last month that God never works “whilly-nilly” either in terms of the moving of His Spirit, or awakening.  And I believe that is true.  But is is also true that God doesn't move arbitrarily in our lives.  

We are saved for a reason.  There is our own existential needs for personal salvation.  God loves us as individuals, more than we can imagine, (Psalm 139).   He knows the hairs on our heads, and provides for our daily needs.  

We are saved for a mission.  We are an integral part of God's day to day work in the world.  Jesus teaches that we are to be salt and light in our work, school, and the marketplace.  The highways and byways that a Christian travels should be affected by our presence.

We are saved for our generation.  We are part of a generation, that will reproduce.  Our biological and spiritual offspring cannot be forgotten.  Not only will they be future pastors, missionaries, but Christian mom's and dads in their world.

We are saved for God's glory.  We assemble in His right now kingdom to glorify our father in heaven.  And in the future, we will assemble in His heavenly kingdom for all eternity, as His children.

 

Are you part of God's great and glorious future?  We trust and pray and work to that end.  “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Rev 19:6,7

 

Look, is that you I see there?  Why yes, that's you there at the table.  Home at last.

 

That’s my view from the Blackberry Patch Pulpit

Pastor Tom

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