A quiet life, as light and salt. This is a truly high calling, one given to all who are in Christ. This is the call to a life of faithfulness.
What are your gifting and callings, that you can live out as light and salt, right where you are? (Are you a spouse? parent? friend? neighbor? member of His Body? serving in His Body? Have a vocation?) To be light and salt is a calling to use your giftings and roles (not someone else’s), in the power of His Spirit, for His glory. In Him, abiding in Him, you will be fruitful–He alone will make His disciples fruitful (Hosea 14:8; John 15:1-5). Our callings can never be carried out apart from Him.
What is this “power” for?
Greater works…when we received the promised Spirit (see Galatians 3:14, Acts 2:33, Romans 5:5 and read here) we were filled, and enabled to walk in Him. We are finally enabled to be a faithful steward of time, resources, gifts and callings. Faithful.
Greater works does not entail fame, fortune, miracle-working-powers, or a life of ease. But in the power of His indwelling Spirit we can finally prioritize Love.
We are led by the Spirit, and can walk by the Spirit. He leads us continually to put more of the old self to death, and further into faithfulness, into obedience, into abiding; and His fruitfulness looks so different than the world’s notions of a fruitful life.
Loving God with my whole being, loving my neighbor as myself, loving the brethren as Christ has loved me. If I have not love, then all my “fruitfulness” is a sham. Good for nothing. A quiet calling, not a noisy gong striving…
Look to Him, your life is hid in Him. You are in Him, adopted into His family (John 1:12, Galatians 4:1-9), you are a steward of His belongings and an ambassador of His Kingdom, constrained by His love (2 Cor. 5). So in word or deed, let it all be done in love.
Very few will be gifted by the LORD to be “Christian famous,” rarely has God called anyone to chase a “big hairy audacious goal,” and so many of our heroes in the faith became well known and their books widespread after their deaths.
Rather, our aim in life ought not to be “greater works! O that I would be important! The most important!” But rather “greater works? O LORD, how wonderful that Your Spirit will never depart, and will ever lead me, this is indeed a greater work of You in me, for which I am thankful. Because of Your work in me, I can walk in Your Spirit, I have the boldness to approach Your throne moment by moment, and all fear is asauged. Your perfect LOVE casts out all my fears. Fear of death. Fear of loneliness. Fear of failure. Fear of missing out on something spectacular. Fear of ruining my life. Your love answers all my fears–I will muse upon Your love, especially as displayed at the cross (Romans 5:8). I will live for Your glory! To the praise of Your glory! (Ephesians 1).”
The fall, as described in Genesis 3, (you know, the effects of sin brought upon all mankind?) influences our heart, mind, body. We sometimes forget that sin inhibits us from thinking clearly, understanding, or growing in wisdom. But in Christ, by His Spirit, we have the Light (see 2 Corinthians 4), and we enjoy the fruits of Light (see Ephesians 3), and this Light is true knowledge, knowing Him.
Our greater works include faithfulness & perseverance.
Perseverance. Not a popular term I know; I’ve worked alongside brothers and sisters in Christ who want to change up this term. But we see in Scripture that we are granted perseverance; not to be perfect (only Jesus could accomplish that) but to be faithful. Faithfully walking through all the little things, every day. Faithful in the quotidian tasks that seem small. But we do them unto Him.
Plan a time this week to walk through Romans 2-5; Hebrews 11-12; 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, 3:11-13; and Revelation 14:12-13; and then let that lead you into re-reading some of Jesus’ teachings (i.e. storing up treasures in heaven?).
Ask the LORD to teach you about whether perseverance is a good word. The promise Christians cling to is that we are kept (1 Peter 1; Jude). All obstacles to our faith are removed. And we now we stand securely in His grace (meditate on Romans 5:1-2). He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and will prove to be a stronghold for His people, He is never mistaken–He intimately knows those who take refuge in Him (Nahum 1:7).
I love this line, “But we see in Scripture that we are granted perseverance; not to be perfect (only Jesus could accomplish that) but to be faithful.” Perseverance when one is called is key!