“Beloved, now are we the sons (daughters) of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (1 John 3: 2-3)
Said another way, our hope in Christ is not a real hope unless we are engaged in a course to purify our-self, even as he, Jesus Christ, is pure. Only then will we become like him and ‘shall see him as he is’.
Clearly the state so described, is not ‘our here and now’ but is the road of eternal promise, far less traveled in our current society. We are all filled with weaknesses that ‘define us as mortals’ so that ‘it doth not yet appear what we shall be’… with good purpose. If there were no challenges and mortal weaknesses to overcome, would we really appreciate what Christ has done for us? Would we not be like the spoiled child who never will understand sacrifice until he/she confronts head on, weaknesses and challenges to face and overcome? We show our gratitude to Christ, being patient, yet diligent to ‘purify ourselves even as He is pure’. This process is the greatest gift we can give Him in return… far less than the infinite gift He gave us and all earthly fellow travelers.
Christ made possible our eternal destiny to return to Him and our Heavenly parents. Thus in overcoming our mortal weaknesses, inclinations, inconsistencies, hardships, and disappointments, we have true growth to see, appreciate, become more like Him (who has gone through it all, atoning for us). It will take consistent, earnest prayer subject to him and his counsel. Why would we not want to be as close as possible to our Savior so intensely interested in our eternal potential? (The approach; ‘I can do it tomorrow’ is hugely short sighted!!) He’s the best guide ever… and let’s not forget there are lots of rewards along the way! kdm
