Divinity in Earthen Vessels by Nwoha Peace Ngozi

 

 

                   Divinity in Earthen Vessels
2 Peter 1:4; John 14:20.

I peered through my window; it was still dark outside. I noticed my alarm hadn’t gone off yet; it was set for 6:00 a.m. My peaceful sleep was abruptly shattered by the piercing sound of a woman’s voice echoing through a microphone across the street. It had been weeks since her impassioned preaching had disrupted the dawn, her voice sometimes trembling with emotion as she poured her heart out.
As a Christian, I tried to quell my irritation about being roused so early by reminding myself that the gospel needed to reach even the farthest corners of the earth. I attempted to silence the part of me that wished for just a few more precious moments of sleep.
She continued speaking, her voice echoing across the empty street, laced with urgency. I pressed my face into my pillow in a futile attempt to drown out her voice, but the words she would say would stick with me throughout the day.
Her voice grew quieter, almost into sobs, and she said, “We don’t care about our lifestyle anymore. Don’t you know that when you meet him, you must be without stain or blemish?”
I felt a lump form in my stomach as she touched on a pressing part of the scriptures, which I’ve always been bothered about. Let’s face it, there are some aspects of the bible that may leave you with more questions than answers, and this was one of them for me.
How on earth am I going to make heaven without a spot or stain? Especially since all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
That part of the message was sobering for me, and as I went to work and attended to patients, it remained in the recesses of my heart.
How on earth would anybody live and work in this Nigeria and make heaven without a stain or spot?
As I meditated on the message that evening, I remembered some others in the bible who must have experienced the same distress. The disciples.
Jesus had just explained to the disciples the terms and conditions for godly marriage. He also told them that it would be difficult for a rich person to enter heaven. In their discouragement, the disciples asked him who, then, would be able to make it to heaven. (Matthew 19:25).
Jesus’ response to him is what gave me the answer I was looking for:
With God, all things are possible.
He makes the Impossible, possible.
I felt some relief but still had to press more, like Gideon, for further confirmation that it wasn’t my brain releasing ideas to make me feel good. Another thought filled my mind, about Jesus speaking to the father, telling him he had kept the ones he had released to him, except the one doomed to destruction (Judas), who had fallen away. (John 17:12)
He had kept them.
If those two examples were not enough, there was also 1 Corinthians 1:8
“He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I almost jumped from the couch in excitement. Finally! The task of remaining spotless, if left to me, would be impossible. But with God, presenting me spotless and blameless at the end was possible.
How would this be accomplished? John 14:20
“On that day, you will realize that I am in my father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”
If the father can do the impossible, the Jesus in me can also do the impossible.
With the gift of the Holy Spirit, we have divinity within earthen vessels to do the impossible and shine his light throughout all dark corners of the earth. Not only would he present us blameless before God, but our walk with him on earth would also be filled with exploits.
Walking with Jesus
Having an advocate who will present to the father is amazing, but it does not mean we will not have a role to play. As with everyone who walked with God on earth, we have a responsibility to play, to pick our cross, and follow him.
Faith is the currency through which we can access divinity. We cannot please God without faith, and Hebrews 11 has a whole hall of faith for men and women who, though not perfect, pleased God with their acts of faith. If we are going to please God and participate in his divine nature, our faith will be tested several times.
2 Peter 1:5-6 further adds a list of things we should add to the faith to bask in the great and precious promises he has given us. These include Goodness, Knowledge, self-control, Perseverance, Kindness, godliness, and Love.
All these would make our walk with God and quality of life on earth meaningful, while we lay up treasures in heaven where they would not be stolen.

What can you do to have God in you?
If you, like me, have struggled to understand how you will live each day blameless so that ‘rapture won’t catch you unawares’, I welcome you to open your heart to the love of God. To know that it isn’t God’s intention for you to end up outside of His presence where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
You should accept Him and surrender yourself to Him. This means saying yes to His will and choosing Him always. In your walk with Him, times may come when you will be on fire for him, looking for the next territory to capture or lion to slay. There would also be times when you are not sure if you are truly in His will or your village people’s will because of how hard things may seem.
Once you have the Holy Spirit in you, with peace that makes no sense, he will continue to be your spiritual GPS to navigate through this world. Even if you fall, as long as you remain in Him, you will still rise and continue to carry your cross until he presents you without wrinkle or stain before God.
So, have the consciousness that you have an added advantage that the world does not have; you have a deposit of the divine in you, which would keep you sealed and fruitful until the perfect day.
You’re Abba’s investment; walk like it.