23 Jan Nothing Less than Heaven on Earth

We were on our way to an ice cream shop on the way home from a day trip. We’d been unsuccessful in our attempts to find dairy-free ice cream for our son with food allergies to pick up and bring with us. After failing at two stores, we called ahead to a third. A younger man answered the phone. I shared with him our situation and asked if they had any dairy-free delights in their store. He replied as he laughed in disbelief, “Whoa! I’m sorry. That’s way beyond my level of expertise. Let me get my manager.” His tone and laughter revealed that this wasn’t just a little beyond his expertise. Nope. He needed a manager to help him ascend the exceedingly magnificent heights of this incredible enigma I’d placed before him.

I may be wrong here, but I think that young man was selling himself a little bit (or a lot bit!) short. But he’s not alone. I think many of us do this as Christians as well. We miss the magnitude of who we are in Jesus and what we are empowered and equipped through His Spirit to do in this world. Our mission, brothers and sisters, is nothing less than bringing heaven to earth in our worlds. Our mission is nothing less than bringing tastes, touches, and tangible glimpses of eternity into the spaces, places, realms, and relationships in which God has given us influence. That was Jesus’ mission. That is the mission He has passed on to us, His ambassadors. Let us not settle for anything less. “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20, NLT).