To Boldly Go

“Henceforth my soul should fight with the prestige of victory, with the courage that comes of having striven and won, trusted and not been confounded."
~Juliana H. Ewing

We are the Called, those of us who have chosen to seek Him with all of our hearts. We think we chose Him, but it is He who chose us, and sent us forth that we might bring forth fruit to bring glory to His Name. To be "the Called" is not necessarily to live a calling. To be the Called is to be His, to be a seeker of His heart. It is an identity, not a direction.

We were one thing before Jesus Christ; now in Him, all things have become new. Can we step out from under the crippling condemnation from our struggle with sin and boldly go where so few will tread? Is there yet a remnant who will walk humbly with God, desperately needing His mercy yet awed because of His grace?

I want to go boldly. I want to boast in the Cross of Christ, this place where mercy and grace met in a way only God could have chosen to meet His demand for justice. I want to walk in the freedom of His salvation, unashamed to wear His Cross as my covering. I want to know the power of His resurrection, to know that while I have died with Him, I yet live, and so much the more through the life of Jesus Christ.

If we, the Called, could only step with confidence understanding the freedom of the grace of God, what force of hell could tear our vision from His face--whether He is bloodstained and weeping on a Cross, or radiant with victory and resolute in His judgment?

My passion has gentled, as I have come to understand His. I am learning to wait upon Him, for I know that He is good. I am learning to walk humbly, for who needs His mercy more than I? I have not attained, but I press on. I want to boldy go where few have dared to walk.
Is this life, then? I think it is. But it is a living death, too, for each day I learn anew to set aside my self for His desires. How can He so completely fill me?