Why were we created?
(In Bible Study Fellowship this year, we are studying a bit of Israel's history. Here is a paste of my recap from last night:
The Bible reveals Revelation, Rebellion and Redemption
Abram simply believed God would do what He said He would do (faith) and was considered Righteous. It's the same for us, John 20:31 says: "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
Like Abram we are blessed to be a blessing. We soak God up like a thirsty sponge and He squeezes us out on those around us, then refills us and does it again. Luke 6:38 says: "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Our pattern is life is like a saying I heard at a church I once attended: With open hands, we receive from God all He wants to give, believing He wants to give us a lot, and, with open hands, we give it away, believing we cannot out give God!
Like the Israelite's, we are ambassadors of God, sent out with His same authority, all authority in heaven and on earth 1Peter 2:9: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
We are created to give God glory and have deep fellowship with Him for eternity...intimacy greater than that of the marriage bed, to know and be known without any shame!
Oswald continues the theme of our purpose in life this morning. read on...MH)
The Missionary’s Predestined Purpose
Now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant… Isaiah 49:5
The first thing that happens after we recognize our election by God in Christ Jesus is the destruction of our preconceived ideas, our narrow-minded thinking, and all of our other allegiances— we are turned solely into servants of God’s own purpose. The entire human race was created to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Sin has diverted the human race onto another course, but it has not altered God’s purpose to the slightest degree. And when we are born again we are brought into the realization of God’s great purpose for the human race, namely, that He created us for Himself. This realization of our election by God is the most joyful on earth, and we must learn to rely on this tremendous creative purpose of God. The first thing God will do is force the interests of the whole world through the channel of our hearts. The love of God, and even His very nature, is introduced into us. And we see the nature of Almighty God purely focused in John 3:16— “For God so loved the world….”
We must continually keep our soul open to the fact of God’s creative purpose, and never confuse or cloud it with our own intentions. If we do, God will have to force our intentions aside no matter how much it may hurt. A missionary is created for the purpose of being God’s servant, one in whom God is glorified. Once we realize that it is through the salvation of Jesus Christ that we are made perfectly fit for the purpose of God, we will understand why Jesus Christ is so strict and relentless in His demands. He demands absolute righteousness from His servants, because He has put into them the very nature of God.
Beware lest you forget God’s purpose for your life.
--Oswald Chambers