It’s been said that church is kind of like the ark: the stench inside doesn’t seem so bad when you look at the storm outside.
Kind of harsh? Yeah. But we know that sometimes as church we get it wrong. We fight over carpet colors and worship styles and who gets to go first at the potluck. We gripe over the music being too loud and the kids walking in with holes in their jeans. We look at those who sacrificed and gave to build what we have and complain that they’re holding us back. We hold grudges instead of forgiving; criticize instead of contributing. We jockey for our seat at the table instead of picking up the towel and being the first to serve. What was meant to be a place of healing becomes a place of wounding.
But this is not who we were meant to be.
Paul prayed that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened “so that you may know . . . the riches of his glorious inheritance in his heavenly people” (Ephesians 1:18). Who are his heavenly people? Me. You. The widow sitting in the pew across from you. The child who rides the bus every week. The single mom working three jobs who manages to get her kids to Sunday School and wonders how much longer she’s going to be able to keep it all together. The man who first walked into the sanctuary with alcohol on his breath who’s now celebrating 6 months sober. We are the church. We are citizens of another world. We are his heavenly people.
And God chose us as his “glorious inheritance.” Wrap your mind around that and wonder. Of all the splendor in the heavens and the treasures hidden beneath the earth, God chose us as his inheritance. We are valuable to him. God looks at our brokenness and mistakes, covers us in the blood of Christ, and calls us glorious. There are riches present in the fellowship of the saints.
We get it wrong sometimes. I’ve got some of the scars to prove it. But when we get it right miracles happen. When we live out life together as his people, heaven touches earth. We wage war on our knees and see strongholds fall. Communities are transformed. Families are healed. Addicts are set free. Those who had no hope begin to dream of a future. We become a place of vibrant life. We shine out like stars in the darkness. We live as the people he always meant for us to be.
This is my prayer for you this week: that God may enlighten the eyes of your heart so you can see the riches of his glory displayed in his heavenly people. If you’ve been wounded, I pray that God brings you to a place of healing. Don’t give up. If you’re in a place where you hunger for more, I pray that God opens your eyes to the future he has for you. Join him in calling it into reality. If you’re in a place that is bringing forth the kingdom, then celebrate. Keep pressing in to find deeper riches and greater abundance from our God who can do anything beyond what we can ask or even imagine.
God chose you for his inheritance. Live gloriously.
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