Not Done Yet

"Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is."
1 John 3:2 (NIV)

There's one person on this earth I get more frustrated with than anyone else. And I can't get away from him no matter how hard I try. It’s me. If you've got someone just like that in your life, you already know who I'm talking about.

I know I'm saved. I know I'm forgiven. I know Jesus loves me, and I love Him, and I'm not what I used to be. But what frustrates me, and maybe you know this feeling too, is how many times I'm still not what I ought to be. I fall short every day, saying things I shouldn't, missing what I know I ought to do, and some days I just get discouraged with myself, and I'd guess you've had a few of those days too.

Then I read this verse again. What we will be has not yet appeared. I'm not what I used to be, but I am not what I'm going to be yet either." One of these days, when Jesus comes for us or we go to Him, we're going to be like Him. A glorified body. A purified spirit. A sanctified soul. You can't picture it yet, and neither can I, but a caterpillar can't picture the butterfly either, and the transformation is already written into its design.

Have you heard of the albedo effect? Scientists measure how much light a surface reflects rather than absorbs, using something called albedo. Our moon only reflects seven percent of the light that hits it, so it has .07% albedo. Saturn's moon Enceladus reflects ninety-nine percent, the highest of anything in our solar system. One day, your albedo will be 100%. You'll reflect Him completely.

Picture the day that's true for you. Two people are both eighty years old, both with a terminal diagnosis, and only days left. One knows Jesus. One doesn't. The one without Jesus can only look back, grateful for whatever good he had, because that's the whole inventory left to him. 

The one with Jesus looks back too, but then looks forward, because he knows he hasn't seen anything yet. One man dies in the rearview mirror. The other dies looking out the windshield.

You don't need to wait until your last days to live like this is true. The next time you're frustrated with who you still are, remind yourself you're not finished. Pray it clearly. God, thank you that I'm not what I used to be, and I'm not what I'm going to be either.

If you know Jesus, your best days are never behind you. He's not done with you yet.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your great mercy, accepting me today. I confess, sometimes it's hard to get past my own shortcomings. Remind me today that the best is still ahead, because of who I'm becoming in You. Help me live into that truth. In Jesus' Name, Amen.