And this hope does not disappoint us.

A friend of mine recently told me about Wheatstone Academy, and their blog, The Examined Life. So now I am reading their articles, and they hit me squarely and encouragingly.

From the article "Maranatha Ministry," by Chad Glazener (http://examinedlife.wheatstoneacademy.com/2010/12/maranatha-ministry/):

"This is the lesson of Scripture: all of our acts of service must be directed toward “Maranatha.” Our continued obedience and faithfulness in our vocation is grounded and fueled by our hope that Jesus Christ is coming to reign as the one true king. As those who have been called to leadership in whatever context we find ourselves, we are to help our brothers and our sisters practice living lives that are blameless and holy in the presence of God. We are to expose that this world of shadows is not as it ought to be, but will soon be made right.

To minister in the hope that Christ will come again, our ministries must be marked by fortitude, zeal and joy. In the relentless onslaught of disappointment, frustration and confusion that Christian leaders inevitably face, we are able to rest in the knowledge that our efforts will bear fruit. Whether or not we see the result of this effort immediately, we are assured that our acts of service will continue to multiply into the kingdom. That word of encouragement, that truth shown, that love demonstrated, that grace freely given, will ripple into eternity. With this hope that all of our efforts to proclaim the gospel will be vindicated when Christ returns to His kingdom, we can minister now–right now– with passion and courage, rejoicing that even though our vocation may sometimes seem unnoticed or underappreciated, all of our efforts to love our neighbor are seen and will be used for the glory of God, for He wastes nothing."