The other day I was introduced to an image to talk about the intentional living of Christianity. This was shared with me by a church member who attended Perkins School of Theology some years ago and he recalled this was something that was taught to him by a professor he deeply admired.
Everyone is "God's People". Everyone is created in the image of God and has the goodness of God within them. However, not all of God's People live out the life of God. Some are living the life of ego or the life of some other idol or goal or ideal. As such not all of God's people are people of God (some are People of Self, or People of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism or People of Money or People of some Person).
Secondly, each of us has the life of which we were but are no longer "just that" and there is that part of life of which we are not yet. For instance, we are no longer just a student but we are also not yet a master. We live between that which we are no longer and that which we are yet to be.
As People of God, we all have the call in our lives to become that which we are not yet. The Christian life calls the People of God (aka: everyone) to become God's People (aka those who live a life with God at the center).
I know and understand not all people connect with the Call to be People of God as revealed in the Christian tradition. But for those of us called into the not yet life of holiness - how are we doing?