Posts Tagged: 1 John 3:1-3

“All the Time in the Universe—and Then Some!”

A twelve-step reading this morning reminded me that God has been doing a lot of construction work in (and on) my life. However, now is the time for building on a new, more solid foundation.

Initially, I did not find this terribly encouraging. Terrible, yes. Encouraging, no. “After all,” I said to myself, “I’m almost seventy. How much more building can even God do in such an old guy?”

And then a very unexpected and encouraging wave of Truth swept over me. God is not limited by the years of my life. In fact, God is not limited by time at all! God has all of eternity to work on me. Even if my entire earthly life is limited to dirt work and foundation laying, it might be a life well-lived. God is not in a hurry. God took seven days to create the universe. God took four-hundred years to get Israel out of Egypt. Why shouldn’t God take seventy years or so to work on me.

So, as an active worksite, I need to be patient. Bring on the bulldozers, the pile drivers, whatever equipment the Divine Workman wishes to use. I’m a mess, but then so is every worksite until the building is finished.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. . . . 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3)

Apparently, the author of 1 John realized that, even though we are now children of God and that we are called to holiness in the here and now, we are not a finished product just yet.

Be content to be fragmentary, dear reader.

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