We know that in Genesis 1:1, the Bible opens up saying, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” My son memorized this verse in kindergarten. It is probably a verse every child learns, if they attend church. However, over in Colossians 1:16, we learn something else about the creation of the heavens and the earth. In this verse, Paul wrote to the church of Colossae, telling them that Christ is Lord of creation. He wrote, “For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions, or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him.” Those last two words give us the why of creation…for Him. The all-powerful God of creation created the entire universe and every living thing, including you and me…for Him! The sad thing is that we tend to live our lives as if God is created for us…to do what we want him to…to pour out his blessing on us….to take care of our every need….to save us from all the messes we get ourselves into.
God doesn’t really need us. It isn’t as if God were lonely. Before he ever created us or the angels he had God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. When He chose to create us, the Bible records God saying, “Let us make man in our own image. (Genesis 1:26). Before creating us, God had all the angels in heaven worshipping him. In Revelation 19:6 the Apostle John wrote, “Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.” The prophet Nehemiah wrote, “You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and the heavenly host bows down before You.” Paul wrote over in Acts 17: 24-25, “The God who made the world and everything in it…is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything.” He did not need to satisfy an ego craving to be worshiped. He has no low-self-esteem issue. He is totally secure in who he is. He is I AM.
So if God doesn’t need us, then why did He bother creating us and why does He keep pursing us with an everlasting love instead of destroying us because of our sinful nature? It’s a question that has been asked countless of times throughout time. In fact, King David wrote in Psalm 8:3-4, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers…what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”
Even though he doesn’t need us, the simple truth is he chose to create us…for no other reason than out of Love. God tells us, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jeremiah 31:3). Because he is omniscient (all-knowing, 1 John 3:20), He knew before He ever created us that we would sin and our sin would cause Him to send Jesus to die for our sins. Titus 1:2 tells us that our hope of eternal life was promised by God before time began. Yet He created us anyway…and loves us with an everlasting love. A love so great that it cost His only Son His life just so God in all of his holiness could have a relationship with us.
Because of His great love for us, we should have a desire to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5). Because we have been loved with an everlasting love, even in our sinful state, we should be more than willing to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:30) As a result of God’s infinite love, grace and mercy toward us, we should recognize that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (Ephesian 2:10) and that we were created “to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) It isn’t “good works” that get us in to heaven. Paul wrote, “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – not from works, so that no one can boast.” The good works is a result of our faith lived out as we surrender our lives to God and His plans for us. God gives us a choice to accept Him by faith. He longs for everyone to come to Him by faith, repent of their sins, and surrender their lives to him. In 2 Peter 3:9, we read, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Yet, the choice is ours to make. We choose to accept Him or reject Him.
So while God may not need any one of us, we certainly need Him. We are dependent on Him and as we trust in his promises, we can know He has a specific plan for each one of us…plans that are for our absolute best…plans that will give us a hope and future (Jeremiah 29:11). If you have not already trusted Christ as Savior, would you be willing to surrender your life to Him right now and begin an exciting relationship with the God of creation who chose to create you and to love you with an everlasting love? If you have already made that decision and given your heart to Christ, do you need to cry out like the Psalmist and say, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” (Psalm 85:6) Do you need to humble yourself before God and pray and seek His face and turn from your wicked ways, asking God to forgive you?” Maybe you’re still searching for God’s purpose for your life. Colossians 1:16 answers that question. You were created for Him. Maybe you just need to take a moment and praise him for His everlasting love towards you and worship Him.
We all know ourselves better than any other human being know us and God knows us even better. I stand amazed in the presence of God, knowing all my own personal faults, mistakes, and sin and wonder how He could love…with an everlasting love that chose to create me anyway…even though I would be the cause of Him needing to send Jesus to die for me. He did the same for you.
