“God raised us (me) up with Christ and seated us (me) with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us (me) in Christ Jesus.“ Ephesians 2:6-7
My Bride has a BEAUTIFUL Diamond Ring. I know because I am the one who bought it for her. Years ago, I listened to the jeweler explain the properties of diamonds and how to pick a good one. I TRUSTED the Jeweler, took her information, applied it, and made sure I DID just that when I purchased MY bride the ring, which symbolizes my love for her! She loves it… BUT!
The platinum band of the ring recently broke. When the Jeweler chided me after many years as to why I hadn’t upgraded it, I did that too! Making the diamond bigger meant altering the band, which is right where it cracked. So I took it back to the jeweler where they are working on it. Every day my bride asks me, “when will my ring be finished? I feel naked without it!” So I call! We wait!
Folks might think talking about my wife’s ring is arrogant bragging. While they may have a point, I don’t care! The point of the ring is to show off my love for and to HER. If the world looks at it with longing eyes, all I have to say is, “eh… get your own ring!” Because, believe it or not, that is EXACTLY the attitude Jesus has toward HIS Bride! Today’s verse is 1 of many which points out that fact!
If one takes the time to meditate on this verse, and I have, “Flabbergasted” is the best word I can find. God is saying that HE is going to use ME as a SYMBOL of HIS Love and Grace by SHOWING ME OFF in Heaven! ME!!! The angels are ALREADY confused and flabbergasted that God would stoop down so low to reach, and then DIE for… a filthy hopeless sinner like me! They have a point!
Like a multi-faceted diamond, ‘The Church’ has many faces, each one reflecting light differently. Together, the light promises to be stunningly beautiful. But unlike a diamond, each face of ‘The Church’ shines because of God’s will and MY choice to receive His light and willingly reflect it out to the world. I Love God’s Church! I don’t have much patience for people who only fake at being His Bride.
THe point is, Christ is working on ‘The Church!’ And while He does, we wait. But we are NOT given the option to sit idly by as the clock ticks. We are called to let His Light SHINE by being about HIS work and to display HIS love and Grace to a dead, worthless, sinful world. It is His work of FLABBERGASTING EXPANSION that we are either doing, or not!! Are YOU a part of it? Do YOU care? Because His plan is to show YOU off as a symbol of His Love??! How will YOU look?
