“9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col 1:9-14, ESV)
A dear retired missionary who used to write letters of encouragement to us always used this address on the blue air forms:
To the Saints Dykgraaf
PO Box 261
Jos, Nigeria
That label caused me a bit of embarrassment and brought some chuckles in the Nigerian mission office, which was also the mail distribution center for all the area missionaries. I knew I was no saint and figured that those who had to work with me on committees or projects wouldn’t be so generous with their labels for me either. My wife, Jan, maybe, but not me. I never had come even close. As a student at Calvin years earlier, I would not have been singled out for recognition, certainly not for sainthood. For some years in my early missionary service I even struggled with a kind of off-putting pride. I immersed myself in African language and culture so deeply that I idealized them and alienated myself from my missionary colleagues. I got pretty good at speaking the language, but I was no fun to be with, and I certainly wasn’t giving evidence of any progress on the road to sainthood.
But that retired missionary correspondent forced me to look at what Scripture says about me – and you. Paul says that God brought us out of darkness, put us into the kingdom of love, and qualified us for sainthood. Today I am grateful to be forgiven for the sin of pride that showed itself so sneakily just as I was becoming a “humble missionary.” It took the blood of Christ to remove it, and that qualifies me for sainthood.
And I, along with millions of Christians everywhere, now enjoy the communion of the saints on earth – living lives worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might, and joyfully giving thanks – even as we look forward to sharing “in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light” (Col 1:21)
[from “My Heart I Offer by Calvin College”]
