Yet to Come

…to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:4-5

If you have been saved, you have experienced the greatest triumph that can take place in this life. The Holy Spirit indwells your life, and as you read Scripture, you are convicted and driven to live out the life you read about in its pages. Your life has been and is being transformed into this new creation who truly loves God and loves people.

If you have been a Christian for a while and if you have been earnestly seeking to follow him, then I can guarantee that you are a different person, a better person, than you were when you first accepted Christ as your Savior. You may not feel it, but that is only because God continues to show you a bigger picture of himself as you draw nearer.  The more you see of him, the more you feel your unworthiness. Yet, the Holy Spirit within you and Jesus in heaven testify encouragement for you that they have begun a good work in you. The progress and trajectory of your life thrill God’s heart. So, do not give up because just because you have a better picture of just how serious your sinfulness is. Instead, let it remind you how great is the triumph of Christ crucified and of Christ resurrected.

Remember Christ’s victories in the sanctifying and setting apart of your life. For the reminiscing about the accomplishments can remind you of an even greater destination to which you are going. The salvation that you experience now is powerful and majestic, but the true glory of this salvation has only been initiated. Keep in mind that God has a bigger plan for your life than simply forgiving your sins. Forgiveness is not the exact same thing as redemption. In redeeming you, God has planned the great feat of making you glorious.

While there is an immense treasure and joy in this life, especially in the Christian life that pours out the love it has received, greater things are still on the way. If this life has become difficult and tiresome, do not forget the imperishable inheritance laid out before you in the life to come. Set your mind, your heart, and your soul on God and the vastness of his riches that await you.

God has done great things through the salvation that is at work in you. Still, greater things are still in store.