You Were Born for Significance預覽

The Life of Blessing

We must remember that while the New Covenant is greater than the Old Covenant, and the blessings of the Old should never surpass those of the New, herein lies a blessing that I believe made it through the cross unchanged. Aaron was given this decree to announce over God’s people.

“The LORD bless you, and keep you; the LORD make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace. So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.”

—Numbers 6:24–27

We have been predestined to live with the blessings of the Lord on our lives as calling cards that others would accept His invitation to receive His grace. While blessing is relative, according to our assignment in life, it carries the revelation of God’s heart as a Father for all to receive. Learning to carry this may well be a key in seeing the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and Christ.

Comparing ourselves to one another can only lead to wrong thinking and ultimately wrongdoing. It is the breeding ground for jealousy.

The theology of blessing is not to give us fat bank accounts. It’s not to illustrate our greatness or giftedness. And it is certainly not to say we are better than someone else. What has been missing must be embraced to illustrate the success of the cross and its corresponding resurrection, to bring the ultimate illustration of a life well lived and the corresponding transformation to nations of the world. We have the distinct honor of demonstrating the effect of grace on our lives.

“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.”

—1 John 4:17, NKJV

Lets’ go back to one of the most remarkable statements in the whole New Testament. As He is, so are we in the world. It doesn’t say as He was. Sometimes our concerns for excess cause us to miss truth. What is meant here? Does this mean we’ll never need correction, repentance, growth, or discipline again? Of course not. This passage simply describes what we’re being conformed into: the image of our victorious and glorified savior! It’s all about the glory of God upon His people.

Our lives are not patterned after the Christ headed to the cross. Yes, the life of the cross is still essential for us all. But it leads to something: resurrection. We are being conformed into the image of the One who is raised from the dead, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and glorified. We model the life of resurrection through victory. And sometimes, we model the life endurance until the victory comes.

Picture a potter looking to a model and shaping the clay accordingly. We are being shaped by the Holy Spirit into the likeness of the model—Jesus Christ, the ascended One. He is glorified and at the right hand of the Father. All the ego-centered, materialistic efforts to represent godliness through fleshly manifestations are counterfeit copies—and poor copies at that. We have the unique privilege of living the resurrection life here on earth as a demonstration of who He is for all humankind. God has designed all of us to become “one mature man—the fullness of Christ.” This is His heart, His plan, and within His capacity to accomplish. May it happen in our lifetime.

“…till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” 

—Ephesians 4:13, NKJV

We must give ourselves to learn how to live victoriously, reigning in life, “for as He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). It’s time for that reality to be the living testimony of the church in this hour. This is all for His glory, for our strength, and for salvation to come to the nations. We were born for such a time as this, a time of increasingly great significance.