You were made for more than you realize!

In my last post I wrote that God is not only the creator of all things, but that all things have been made to reflect the glory of God in all his beauty, power and majesty. What we also discover is that God reveals himself to us as a good and purposeful creator. Genesis 1 tells us that when he created the world, everything was good. And he placed the first human beings, Adam and Eve at the very center of his creation in a garden to not just enjoy his creation, but to look after and care for creation under his loving care and rule (Gen.1:28-31). Unlike everything else in creation, human beings alone have been made in the image of God and given this glory and honor (Gen.1:27). It appears from the beginning that God actually made the world for us to live in and enjoy under his loving care and rule, where Adam and Eve lived as God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule.

In fact, we’re told in Psalm 8:3-8 that in all creation God actually has us on his mind i.e. he thinks of us and cares for us. The God who is the creator of the universe in all his glory, and in all the perfection of his beauty, power, majesty and greatness has you on his mind and cares for you. He has also given us as human beings the highest place of glory and honor placing us under him, but above his creation, to look after and care for his creation and world.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. Psalm 8:3-5

You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. Psalm 8:6-8

This revelation that God has created us and our world with a purpose tells us that you and I are not the by-products of chance. God has not made us and left us to ourselves to discover our purpose in life. In fact, we are reminded that our lives are valuable, because God himself assigns and gives our lives value. In all that God has made, you are the single jewel in his crown. You are more valuable to him than the very universe. There is nothing in creation that compares to you in beauty, power, majesty and greatness. For the same God who declares his very glory in all creation in all the perfection of his beauty, power, majesty and greatness (Ps.19:1) now tells us here that you are more valuable that the very creation he has made. That must mean that as men and women made in the image of God we actually reflect his very glory above everything else in all his creation.

As our creator God has given our lives purpose, meaning, significance and value. And we find our real purpose and value when we begin to bring our lives under the loving care and rule of a God who has created us above all things, to reflect his glory in our lives, and has literally given us the world to enjoy.

Eugene Hor – lead English pastor/elder
www.thereformission.net

Rich Fool or Wise Steward?

In the parable of the rich fool, Jesus tells the story of a man who was wise by worldly standards (Luke 12:13-21). His ground produced a bumper crop. And rather than waste his earnings, he reinvested his money to build bigger barns. He was going to set himself up for life, plan an early retirement and live off his wise investments. But God struck him down in the prime of his life, instantly calling him to account for his self-centred view of his wealth. All his plans came to a crashing halt. Jesus called him a ‘fool’ because he stored up things for himself but was ‘not rich towards God’.

We may not come to such a dramatic end, but we should take this strong warning to heart. One day he will call each of us to account for how we have used our wealth – just like ‘the rich fool’. And before that great day it’s worth asking ourselves how God would want us to use our money.

Paul gives a clear set of instructions in 1Timothy 6:17-19.

1. Don’t be arrogant, nor put your hope in wealth (6:17). Don’t live as if you live your life independently of God. He is the source of your wealth who richly provides everything for our enjoyment. It is he and not your wealth, which is the source of your life and your security.

2. Be rich in good deeds, generous and willing to share (6:18). Remember that your money is not your own. God wants you to be generous as he has been to you through the gospel. Remember that ‘for your sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich.’ (2Cor 8:9)

3. Invest in the treasures that last (6:19). Let the gospel and the advance of God’s kingdom shape your priorities. When you stand before Jesus on the final day you won’t regret anything you’ve given for him or sacrificed for his cause. You won’t regret the souls that have been won through your financial partnership in the gospel. You won’t regret the day when he says to you, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’, when you’ve been faithful with all he has given you.

In a wealthy society like ours, when we have so many options, when every advertisement tells you that you need more, it takes great discipline to say ‘NO’. It takes discipline to plan our giving and our spending. It takes great discipline to set a percentage figure of how much we will give and to review this regularly. It takes great discipline not to bite off more than we can chew – not to need another trinket, not to upgrade our car or our house, so that we can be more generous to the greater needs of others and the eternal needs of the gospel. God promises that we will never be a loser by him (Luke 18:29-30). And as we commit our lives and our wealth to him today we can look forward to his rich welcome.

If God were to assess the management of your financial resources today, what do you think he would say? And when you finally stand before Jesus on the last day, how will you answer him?

Pastor Owen Seto – English Assistant Pastor/elder