#3 Where Am I Heading?
 

That Will Be Perfect!
 

We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone will all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
(Colossians 1:28-29)
 

    When we come to Christ, we don= t just look in the past and say, "I feel good about myself.@ We must look to the future and say, "Where on earth is all this going?@
  There is an end, an objective, a consummation of our faith. And we must live in the light of it at all times.
    Back in verse 23 Paul talked about "the hope held out in the gospel.@ Then in verse 27 he talks about "the hope of glory.@ That word hope is the dominant theme of the Christian gospel. There's no Good News if there is no hope. Hope is something that people in all generations and all cultures look for.
    Well, what is the world coming to? What's going to happen to me? Is there any hope?
  "Yes!@ the Scriptures shouts. Tremendous hope is locked up in the gospel for every believer - the hope of glory.
    The hope of glory means we know that when we die, we will be raised to new life as a result of Christ's resurrection, and we will see God in all his glory.
    The end of our faith will be that we will not only see the glory of God, we will share in it for all eternity.
    When I'm dead, I'm not done with. I will die in Christ, be raised in him, and share in his glory. That's the hope of the gospel. That is the hope of glory.
    Paul also talks about the promise of perfection. He says the day is coming when we will be holy, blameless, faultless - perfect in God's sight.
    There is a sense in which we are justified to that position right now. But on that day it will become actual. As a Christian, I am as justified now as I ever will be. I'm as holy and blameless in God's sight as I'll ever be.
    But practically I'm not holy. My behavior is not blameless. Practically you could bring all kinds of accusations against me.
    A day is coming when we will be perfect practically. We will stand before God without a hint or trace of anything of which we could be accused. When Christ appears, then we will appear with Christ in glory. Then we'll be perfect.
    If we know that's where we're going, and if we know where we are, we will want to keep progressing in our experience of Christ so there are fewer and fewer things of which we can be accused.
    We must live in the light of where we were, grateful that we're no longer there. We must continue in the light of where we are, concerned that we're still not what we ought to be. And we must press on to know Christ more fully, assured that one day we will stand before God clothed in perfect holiness.
    That is where our faith is leading. It's a trip that promises great reward.
    As you look back at your life, where were you? Where are you today? And where are you going, as you look ahead to the future?
 

Father, thank you for accepting and loving me completely just as I am now, and for seeing me as perfect in Christ. And thank you that someday I will stand before you absolutely pure and holy, because of your Son, Amen.
 

~Stuart Briscoe~