Your Role In Eternity

“HIS INTENT was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:10-11).

This is one of those Bible passages that becomes more and more stunning and mind-boggling the longer you think about it. It’s like a rock tossed into a perfectly still pool, with concentric rings of impact rolling out farther and farther.

The apostle Paul told us that God teaches the unseen world all about Himself, and He does so by using you and me as His audiovisual aids. In some manner beyond our present comprehension, the Lord chooses to use our earthly lives to show the universe the marvels and wonders of His grace and kindness in Christ. Let’s imagine some demon would dare waltz up to heaven’s throne and sneer, “God, people only trust You because You bless them with health and strength. But let me put a cancer in the body of some missionary lady. Then let me take away her financial support. Everyone knows what would happen: She would deny You to Your face!”

But God would answer, “Oh, no, you are wrong. That exact scenario happened to My servant Eliza Brown, and she trusted Me through it all. I worked through her obedience, and because of her radiant testimony many more people heard of My Son’s salvation.”

At that point the demon (acknowledging the undeniable truth of this) would slink away, and the glory surrounding God would glow even brighter. Eliza Brown’s sufferings not only helped her grow in Christ but also demonstrated to that demon—and millions more like him—the limitless, transforming power of God’s sustaining grace. The result? Greater glory to God. One day it will be shown to all that God was able to rescue sinners, redeem suffering, crush the rebellious, restore all things, vindicate His holy name, provide restitution . . . and come out all the more glorious for it. What an inexpressible honor to have a share in that!

Yes, I know, it’s difficult to remember these truths when you suddenly find yourself mired in difficult or even heartbreaking circumstances. Even so, you have the opportunity in those moments to be like Eliza Brown. God will use your situation, however complicated, hurtful, or unfair it may seem right now, to build you up spiritually and to reveal stunning new facets of His glory even “to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.”

GOING DEEPER . . .

The purpose is that all the angelic powers should now see the complex wisdom of God’s plan being worked out through the Church, in conformity to that timeless purpose which he centred in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Ephesians 3:10,11, PH

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18, NLT

Father, I recognize that my perspective is so narrow and small. It’s like looking at the Milky Way through a pinhole! Please help me comprehend today just a little bit more of Your eternal plan and purpose in my life. And if You choose to use me as an audiovisual aid before the angels, help me bring honor to my Savior. In His strong name, Amen.