1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

I don’t think this gets preached on very often. The verse ahead of this is rightly loved and set to music, and we sing it often in this church, but this one, not so much. However, this is an incredible prospect set before us. In this world we are constantly faced with our own limitations of all sorts, and the temptation to lose hope or even give up is real. Jesus, after all, told us that in this world we would have trouble. (John 16:33) However, just as He persevered through incredible suffering and came out absolutely, gloriously victorious, we have the same prospect of ultimate victory. It’s like Paul wrote to the Romans: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37) There are all sorts of things included in being “like Christ.” Not only do we have perfect moral purity to look forward to, there are also various physical things that are perhaps ultimately trivial, but they can stimulate our imaginations even so. Even before He was crucified and resurrected, Jesus walked on water, and calmed a storm with a word. After His resurrection, Jesus walked unhindered into a locked room. I recently finished a set of science fiction novels that involved the main character being “enhanced” through the optimization of all his faculties, including physical strength, his five senses, and his mental acuity. He was a thoroughly decent, moral person to begin with, so the books were uplifting over all, and I think there are some parallels to what John says here. As Paul points out repeatedly, the work of Christ is completed, and by that we have been made to be children of God indeed, but that work is not yet fully manifested in us. John is saying that simply seeing Jesus on His return will bring that work out fully, and we will be like Him in every respect. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, we can’t even conceive of all that God has prepared for us. (1 Corinthians 2:9) What we can do is trust that it is glorious indeed, and rest in that hope.

This is something I need to keep in my awareness. There is plenty to discourage me, both in myself and in the world around me. However, I need to be at complete peace with the reality that God isn’t satisfied with the way things are now, (as He told me personally) but He’s got the perfect “final answer” stored up for us. When I turn 78 in a few days, my body isn’t as it once was and doesn’t always cooperate as I would like. I see many things in society around me that I would like to fix, but that’s out of the question for a number of reasons. The more I focus on the negatives, the less grateful I become, and that’s a horrible, slippery slope. I need to fix my heart on the truth that John says here, and let my hope draw those who see me to the One in whom I hope, just as Peter said. (1 Peter 3:15)

Father, thank You for this reminder. You continue to pour Your grace out on me daily, but the devil keeps trying to distract me from it. May I indeed resist him and give You the praise and gratitude You deserve, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!