“There are loved ones in the glory, whose dear forms you often miss. When you
close your earthly story, will you join them in their bliss? Chorus: Will the circle be unbroken, By and by, by and by? Is
a better home awaiting In the
sky, in the sky?”
This
circle is discussed in many ways and goes as far back as St. Paul’s discussion
and witness to keeping this circle alive in our lives. We have the power to
break the circle, but are always given another chance as we live out our days
in this world.
In
Colossians 1:15-23, we hear Paul testify to his conversion in saying: "And
you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now
reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and
blameless and irreproachable before him---provided that you continue securely
established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised
by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under
heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel."
In the joy that comes when we truly
turn to the Lord and follow Him, there is no need to look back other than to
say, ‘I don't know what took me so long, but thanks be to God that I finally
got the message.’ I have seen people in their seventies and eighties fully
experiencing the Lord for the first time.
While we can't relive the past, once
we've found the Lord we can share Him with others with a sense of urgency so
that they might live a greater part of their lives holy and blameless and
irreproachable before Him. Keeping our faith becomes our challenge once we've
heard and experienced the hope of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
St. Paul was not perfect, but his servant
hood of the gospel cannot be questioned. He pushed the envelope of this life to
an extreme in order that others might share in the love that he found in
serving the Lord. His life was in danger every moment, but the brand that he
wore was irremovable. He was secure in his hope and in the promise that he
found in the new life in Christ.
St. Paul says of Jesus, "For in
Him all the fullness of God was pleased to reconcile to Himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his
cross." God has gone out of His way to reconcile us with Himself. What He
has done is hard to understand in strictly human terms. He continues to want to
make peace with us even in our continuing rebellion against Him in our natural
lives.
The very things that seem necessary
for survival in the natural world can be our undoing in our relationship with
God. Once we understand that we are important enough to God that He accepts us
blameless before Him as an encouragement for us to come to Him, like Paul, we
will become servants of the gospel.
God sacrificed the one who was the
image of Himself in order that we might have a chance to return to Him our
creator. Our challenge is to live for Him and worship Him in such a way that we
do not break the circle.
No comments:
Post a Comment