We Were Made for This (#311 of 365+)

“I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:6-7)

“Whom I created for my glory”… Joni said when God does something for his glory it means he’s showcasing his omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. He did that when he created everything from nothing, especially when he fashioned and breathed life into a man on the sixth day.

The Lord further displayed his awesome qualities during the time of the Exodus with signs and wonders that are still world-famous:
A burning bush.
A staff that turned into a snake.
Ten plagues.
A pillar of fire and smoke.
The parting of the Red Sea.

I wonder what a devoutly Jewish person would think if he or she heard me, a Christian, talk about seeing a miracle of God in this day and age. What do Jews think about the fact that all the “signs” seem to have disappeared? Does it mean God has left us? Has he withdrawn his holy presence from our ugly world?

What a tragedy it would be if that were true. But it isn’t.

“As the crowds increased, Jesus said, ‘This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation’” (Luke 11:29-30)

Instead of abandoning us like orphans, God the Father gave us his Son. Just like Jonah lived through being in the belly of a fish for three days and then showed himself to the people of Nineveh, Jesus Christ was dead in the grave for three days before he rose again and appeared to his disciples and hundreds of other witnesses! The apostle Paul would later write, “Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one” (1 Corinthians 1:24 MSG)

God wasn’t finished with displaying his characteristics and attributes after the Fall, after Israel’s repeated disobedience, or even after the extended silence at the end of the Old Testament. It was all leading up to something! Through the sacrificial death of his Son, Jesus Christ, and the “all-surpassing power” of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 4:7) the Lord has provided a way for “anyone” who believes in him to become a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). He conquered sin and death. He defeated the Enemy. He bridged the gap. We can have a close, personal relationship with our Creator God, much better than Adam and Eve experienced in the Garden.

Fill in the blank with your name and read the following sentence aloud. God made me, ________________, for his eternal glory.

Wow...

Lord, I thank you and I praise your name! You breathed your life into me. Help me to be a person who resembles you in my heart, in my mind, and in my actions and words. May my existence bring you the glory you deserve. Amen.