Why Us?

God's word says He speaks to us in a "still small voice." Today's ODB speaks to me loudly, with a familiar, but oft-forgotten message. He made me specially, personally, including my problematic temperament, to fulfill His perfect will. My job is to trust His wisdom and love by allowing Him to work through me, as I am, warts and all.

As God is the very embodiment of love, He created us to serve as recipients of that love, and He created the universe to fill us with awe at His infinite power and intelligence. We, however, are "the fly in the ointment" of God's love, infecting creation with our rejection of His Way.

Even though God declared his creation "very good," and said we were "skillfully woven," that perfection was simply mankind's starting condition. The Creator gave us stewardship over his perfect work, and that included responsibility for how we handled His divine gift of free will. When we violated that stewardship through willful disobedience, we sowed the seed of corruption, not only our own, but for His entire creation. Apostle Paul expresses those ramifications in the passage quoted below.

Vss. 22 & 23 clearly show our fallen condition. If creation were still resting in the perfect state in which God left it at the end of the Sixth Day, it, including humanity, would certainly not now be groaning in birth pains. Does that "birth pains" part sound far fetched? Just take a good look around. What you see is not what God made. The rest of the passage presents God's good news of redemption through Christ Jesus.

Most people think of God's plan of redemption as salvation for mankind only. But this passage shows His redemption will cover the corruption of all creation. Why else would He give us "a new heaven and a new earth," as clearly stated in the Revelation?

God purposed His first creation as a culling, or testing ground. The Old Testament records His laying the groundwork of the law and the prophets, foretelling His coming Messiah. The New Testament introduces us to Jesus, His eternal Word incarnate, and shows us the life-pattern of His church, the firstfruits of His new creation.

God isn't governed by His creation's whims. If we want to enjoy His new creation, we have only One Way. Carefully read Jesus' words in John 14:5-6 MKJV  Thomas said to Him, Lord, we do not know where You go, and how can we know the way?  (6)  Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.

Exclusive? Yes.

Politically correct? Hardly.

Essential? Absolutely!

Rom 8:16-31 MKJV  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.  (17)  And if we are children, then we are heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ; so that if we suffer with Him, we may also be glorified together.  (18)  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed in us.  (19)  For the earnest expectation of the creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.  (20)  For the creation was not willingly subjected to vanity, but because of Him who subjected it on hope  (21)  that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (22)  And we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.  (23)  And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the firstfruit of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, awaiting adoption, the redemption of our body.  (24)  For we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not hope; for what anyone sees, why does he also hope for it?  (25)  But if we hope for that which we do not see, then we wait for it with patience.  (26)  Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  (27)  And He searching the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.  (28)  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  (29)  For whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be the First-born among many brothers.  (30)  But whom He predestinated, these He also called; and whom He called, those He also justified. And whom He justified, these He also glorified.  (31)  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?