Ordinarily Extraordinary

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13

This past Saturday I had the privilege to be part of a celebration of life ceremony for a family member of one of my best friends. Over the years I had known this sweet woman but had never really gotten to know her. My friend’s husband spoke at the service and described a life truly hidden in Christ. Through tears he painted a picture for me with brushstrokes of constant love, abundant grace, inspiring faith, and unquenchable joy in the Lord. He invited us to imagine that perhaps there might be a Faith Hall of Fame in eternity. This woman lived a humble life and was triumphant in running her spiritual race. It turns out that who she was in public was the same person she was in private when no one was looking. I began wondering what we have to do to live up to the victory on earth she had experienced. Suddenly Acts 4:13 tapped me on the shoulder and whispered the answer to me this morning…all of our victories on earth will be the direct overflow from the time we have spent with Jesus. 'They were blown away because the awesome presence of the Holy Spirit rested on these two uneducated fisherman who were just ordinary guys who happened to hang out with Jesus! They knew the power of Jesus had spilled over to and upon them to make them so knowledgeable and bold.' 21 Days of Deeper Prayer, Jim Maxim, p. 10.

Every single person has the invitation and authority to enter into fellowship with God our Father, Christ our Savior, and the Spirit our Indweller. When we are alone, we enter into a fellowship of 4. There are no interruptions, there is no fighting for center stage, and our longing for this beautiful fellowship with the Trinity falls short of Their longing for us. I realize that my friend’s loved one would have been so worth getting to know better. When we surround ourselves with people who have surrounded themselves with the beautiful Trinity, we have the opportunity to move from common men and women to bold followers in Christ. Through our intimacy with Him we will be given the spiritual keys to a mind well-focused, a life well-lived, and a heart well-loved.

So, here is to my friend’s loved one who is now spending time with Jesus face to face instead of dreaming of seeing Him. I’m sure her portrait is hanging in Heaven’s Hall of Faith.