So That

05.17.12

2 Thessalonians 1.11-12 11 To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

What do we want to accomplish with our lives? What kind of heritage do we want to bestow on our descendants? Paul summed up a good life by saying: that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that…

It’s the so that that got my attention today. All of what I am to accomplish in and with my life is going to boil down to a so that. So that: ________________ (fill in the blank). So that I am happy? So that I am rich? So that my children will bless me? So that I succeed in my vocation? It all boils down to a so that.

For Paul the so that was that the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in you. That means that the weight and eminence of His Name will be so great in us that it is unmistakable to those around us – friend or foe. To have the Name of Christ glorified in us means it is what holds us together when the rest of the world is falling apart and we have every reason to fall apart as well but we don’t: He holds us together.

And then Paul said the so that would be us glorified in Him – in Jesus. What in the world does that mean? It means that we realize just how important we are to Him in all of creation. We are His glory (even in all our bumbling’s and stumbling’s). His glory in us means our glory in Him. That is the weight of importance. That is the weight of value. In the clothing business, we always said the garment, had a nice hand; its worth was revealed in the touch. Our worth is revealed in Him.

And, the so that of His grace being given to us. Grace is favor – God likes us. God favors us. God gives His grace to those who favor Him. Not a quid pro quo, He just gives because He is God. The most foul, arrogant, evil sinner alive on this globe today is a recipient of God’s grace. God’s intent is that he would repent from his sin and turn – so that his life will be glorified by God’s Name, and his name will be in turn glorified in God. And so that God’s grace would further abound in him.

Our lives don’t necessarily need depth: they need weight. Depth is a byproduct of weight It is the house that is built on a weighty foundation that will withstand the force of wind and wave. A life of weight is a life of worth and we’re not talking about an increased intake of food; we’re talking about an increased intake of truth. And not just any truth, but God’s truth – so that – our lives will account for something on that great day when we stand before Him and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

So what do we want to accomplish with our lives? It is God’s intent that we live in such a way so that we accomplish all to His glory and goodness revealed in us.