I enjoy superhero movies. As a kid I watched the Spiderman cartoon, and was enthralled when they made that first live-action Spiderman movie a few years ago. I love seeing the hero win the day...and, well, I like the action too :) I say this, because it seems common these days for superhero movies to have a hidden scene at the end of the credits that wets your appetite for the next big blockbuster. Several years ago I watched one of the "Iron Man" movies and we left the theatre when the credits came up. Of course, as you can imagine, I was asked soon after "what did you think of that scene after the credits?" Oh no! I had skipped out early. I had missed something great. I didn't think there was anything more, and quit the movie too early.
In the big picture of life, it doesn't matter whether I missed a hidden scene in a superhero movie. But in the big picture of life, especially as followers of Jesus, I do think sometimes we quit early and miss out on something great.
As often happens with me, the lyrics of a song sparked this thought. I've been enjoying a new song by Bethel Music called "Shine On Us". There's a lyric that says, "You're waking us to life. You've only begun". We believe when you invite Jesus into your life as your personal saviour, he "wakes us to life" (Ephesians 2:4-5). But how many times do we stop there. We've received an incredible gift from God, but we think that's all there is. But life in Christ is only the beginning! 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 says, "But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
We are being transformed to be more like Jesus. With "ever-increasing glory". We aren't supposed to just be woken to life (although that's awesome), and that's it. It's just the beginning. But sometimes we're just satisfied with the bare minimum. And we don't really let God transform us into his image...increasingly reflecting His glory.
My encouragement to you and me today is; don't stop. Philippians 3:12 says it well, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Keep seeking. Keep praying. Keeping believing. Keeping confessing. Keep on...or you'll miss out on something great!
In the big picture of life, it doesn't matter whether I missed a hidden scene in a superhero movie. But in the big picture of life, especially as followers of Jesus, I do think sometimes we quit early and miss out on something great.
As often happens with me, the lyrics of a song sparked this thought. I've been enjoying a new song by Bethel Music called "Shine On Us". There's a lyric that says, "You're waking us to life. You've only begun". We believe when you invite Jesus into your life as your personal saviour, he "wakes us to life" (Ephesians 2:4-5). But how many times do we stop there. We've received an incredible gift from God, but we think that's all there is. But life in Christ is only the beginning! 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 says, "But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
We are being transformed to be more like Jesus. With "ever-increasing glory". We aren't supposed to just be woken to life (although that's awesome), and that's it. It's just the beginning. But sometimes we're just satisfied with the bare minimum. And we don't really let God transform us into his image...increasingly reflecting His glory.
My encouragement to you and me today is; don't stop. Philippians 3:12 says it well, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Keep seeking. Keep praying. Keeping believing. Keeping confessing. Keep on...or you'll miss out on something great!
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