Moreover, if any injury were done to him, he would always do some good thing in return, for he always forgave injuries. He would labour with his hands for the love of God, to get what they wanted for the poor. And so he passed his life in this world as to receive the crown of eternal life in the world to come.
– Anonymous, Life of Ciaran of Saighir, Irish, 17th century, from an earlier ms.[1]
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
– 2 Timothy 4.8
Is the way we live determined more by our ability and experience, or by our vision of what’s possible?
The latter, actually. Our vision of life will determine the abilities we muster and how we engage the various experiences of our life. And this highlights the problem of vision which plagues so many believers in Christ.
Many Christians grow and serve only to the limit of their experience. Because they’ve never done something, or have never seen something done before, or because they have become settled in their present condition, they assume they can’t do anything more than what they’re already doing.
Other believers tend to live up to what they perceive as the level of their ability: they’ve taken stock of themselves and are convinced they will never quite have what it takes to do anything more or be anyone other than they already are.
Settling into the limitations of our experience or perceived ability can foment a “good as it gets” attitude that can keep us from the “exceedingly abundantly more” which the Spirit can do in and through us. It’s like looking in the rearview mirror of experience or past effort, trying to drive ahead into the future.
If we had a different vision for our lives, that is, if our minds and hearts were focused, and our lives were directed toward a more expansive, eternal horizon, we would break free of the limits of experience, and discover abilities we were not even aware of to grow and improve in our witness for the Lord.
Jesus, “for the joy set before Him,” certainly rose above human experience and abilities. By focusing on the glory and joy of His Kingdom, He tapped into divine power to endure suffering, shame, and scorn for the sake of enemies such as you and I (Heb. 12.1, 2; Rom. 5.10). He had His eye on the crown of glory that awaited Him, and which He now wears as He advances His Kingdom on earth.
If, like Jesus, we can concentrate on the crown of righteousness and the ever-advancing Kingdom of Christ (Dan. 2.44, 45; Is. 9.6, 7); if we could draw on the indwelling power of God’s Spirit and focus on the glorious appearing of our Lord, we could find strength beyond what we ever thought possible—Spirit-given strength to make Kingdom-seeking the defining priority of every aspect of our lives—and living for the glory of God a reality, rather than just an idea. We would insist that with God, nothing is impossible. We would say, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!” We would take every thought captive for obedience to Christ, trust in the Lord with all our heart, make the most of every moment of time, enter every situation and engage every relationship with an eye to the glory of God, become conduits of living water to love our neighbors as ourselves, spend and be spent for the souls of others, and never—never—fail to speak boldly and confidently about the things we have seen and heard and know to be true concerning Jesus.
When the commanding vision of our lives is of Christ in glorious splendor and the crown of glory that awaits us, and when our horizons are eternal rather than temporal, the Spirit of God can grow us, soul and body, beyond—exceedingly abundantly beyond—anything we have ever experienced in the life of faith (Eph. 3.20). With a bigger and more glorious vision to guide us, we take bolder, more confident, and more adventurous next steps of daily obedience into a more fruitful and joyous every-day future with the Lord.
Don’t settle for a small vision of your life, one limited by your experience or your perceive abilitis. Look to distant horizons. Reach for a crown of glory, brethren, and rise, rise!
For Reflection
1. What is your life vision? How does this inform your daily activities?
2. What can you do to enlarge and clarify that vision?
Psalm 84.1-4 (Holy Manna: Brethren, We Have Met to Worship)
Lord of Hosts, how sweet Your dwelling! How my soul longs for Your courts!
Let my soul with joy keep telling of Your grace forevermore!
Like a bird upon the altar, let my life to You belong.
Blessed are they who never falter as they praise Your grace with song!
Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Jesus is our vision!
You can learn how to see Jesus in glory and to bring your life more into line with that growing vision. Order a copy of Be Thou My Vision by clicking here.
Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. May I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe? It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
T. M. Moore
All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[1] Plummer, p. 119.
