“Christ in you – the hope of glory.” This is the mystery Paul revealed in his letter to the Colossians. As Christ lives in you and me, in His Body, the Church, we realize that God intends that His grace flow through people.
Almost twenty years ago, preceding and during the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta, our family and church community met many Christians from around the world as Youth With A Mission sent over 3,000 young people and veteran missionaries to serve our city and be a witness for Christ.
Three of these, who still live abroad, are examples of how God’s grace operates through people to greatly influence others. “You must come visit us,” each said as the Olympics wrapped up and they left town. “Don’t say that if you don’t mean it,” I answered with a smile. “No, we mean it, we mean it.”
So, over the years, by God’s grace, all or some of our family have visited Harry and Dagmar in Jerusalem four times, John and Suzanne in Namibia seven or eight times, and Anna in Hawaii, Brazil, and Sweden five or six times. In their homes overseas and in our home when they visit, their impact cannot be measured. When I think that Taylor was ten years old, Kinsey was seven, and Karlyn was three in 1996, I realize the power of God’s seed that grows over time.
God works through people… He works through you and me. The examples we set, the words we share, the good we do, and the prayers we pray have an impact. We may not see the result for years or we may not even know the result until heaven, but Jesus makes a difference in this world through His people.
Paul wrote Titus, a younger follower of Christ, to encourage believers on the island of Crete: “Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned…” (Titus 2:6-8)
We are the people of God, created in Christ to do good on this earth.
Harry (right)
Anna (middle)
Suzanne and John (front)
“Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show His incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:4-10