The holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day fills our senses with:
- Sights of Christmas trees, candles, Santas, and angels.
- Sounds of carols, from the light-hearted “Frosty the Snowman” to the heart-stirring “O Holy Night.”
- Textures from prickly pine to plush velvet.
- Aromas of cinnamon, spice, and gingerbread.
- Tastes of iced sugar cookies and egg nog.
But the seasonal pleasures are over for another year. And the uncertainties of our times—political, economical, as well as personal—that we set aside for a few weeks, are coming to the forefront again. If we’re not careful, troublesome thoughts can raise our blood pressure and take away restful sleep!
What to do? Take comfort in God’s Word. “Great peace have they who love your law,” said the psalmist,” and nothing can make them stumble” (Psalm 119:165). I suppose that would include uncertainties, don’t you?
Two verses have ministered to me lately, Romans 8:30-31:
“Those he [God] predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified, those he justified, he also glorified. What then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Of course, those key words in the first sentence beg to be examined more closely.
Predestination has been the subject of entire books and sometimes causes controversy. I like the way the Living Application Bible explains the concept, in a footnote to Ephesians 1:5. “Predestined” means marked out beforehand.
God knew each of us and loved us before we were even born. He provided the way of salvation so we could be in relationship with him. That does not negate our responsibility to believe in Jesus, in order to bring to pass God’s predetermined plan.
Called means we have been divinely summoned or invited. Some Christians are divinely summoned for specific tasks. Peter (John 21:15-17) and Paul (Acts 9:15) are perfect examples.
Most of us are called to love, obey, and serve God right where he’s placed us—in our homes, churches, business, schools, and neighborhoods.
Whatever our task, he cheers us on to work heartily because we’re doing it for him—to please him and bring him honor (Colossians 3:23-24).
And with his call comes hope, peace, joy, and blessing!
Justification is God’s way of making us right with him. Out of his gracious love for us, he declares us “not guilty” for our sins. We deserve harsh punishment, but he treats us as righteous if we put our trust in Jesus. Then the perfect sinlessness of God’s Son is credited to us (Romans 3:22-25).
Imagine standing before a mighty king who’s dressed in elegant robes. And there you are, wearing ragged, smelly clothes, staring at the floor, and wishing to be anywhere else but in this imposing throne room.
Suddenly the king’s words break through your embarrassment. He’s calling for one of his son’s perfect robes to be brought for you. He doesn’t just want to trade your rags for a beautiful, pristine robe—he’s eager to do it! And then, even more amazing, he welcomes you to his banquet table.
That’s justification—being treated as if we weren’t soiled by sin. Being treated like a royal son or daughter of the king, though it’s the last thing we deserve.
Full glorification will occur when we arrive in heaven. It refers to that moment when you and I will become like Christ (1 John 3:2.) It is so certain, Paul uses past tense. Our glorification is taken care of; it’s just a matter of when.
But the process has already begun. Our glory—that is, anything that brings honor and praise to God—is developing day by day as we allow the Holy Spirit to have influence of our thoughts and choices.
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Now consider the magnitude of these four processes which God lovingly, even anxiously, works within us. I like the way Ken Taylor expresses verse twenty-nine in The Living Bible:
“Having chosen us, he called us to come to him; and when we came he declared us ‘not guilty,’ filled us with Christ’s goodness, gave us right standing with himself, and promised us his glory.”
And last, in light of whatever you may be facing in 2014, please take comfort in these joyous words:
“What can we ever say to such wonderful things as these? If God is on our side, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:30, The Living Bible).
