By Charles Newbold, Jr.
Have you ever thought about what God may want for Himself out of this deal between Him and us? Have you ever thought that it may not be all about us?
After all, He is the Creator. He is the one who set it all in motion. He must have had some purpose in mind—something He planned for Himself.
If you built model airplanes as a hobby, for whom would you be doing that, for the models or for yourself? “No brainer!” You would be doing it for your own pleasure.
Of course, God made us more dynamic and response-able than a model airplane, but the analogy doesn’t fly far from comparison.
What if, just what if God made us for His pleasure alone? That would be a novel concept because we think God exists for us, for our good pleasure. He desires for us to take pleasure in Him, but not to use Him for our pleasure as if somehow we invented Him.
For the most part we have made God up to be the way we want Him to be. We are more comfortable with Him being the god of our own making. I’m not really sure we would be comfortable with knowing what He really wants from us because it would no longer have to do with us. God wants more than for us to “get saved” so we can miss hell and go to heaven when we die.
What, then, does God want out of this deal with us?
DeVern Fromke in his book, The Ultimate Intention, summarized God’s plan superbly. “The Father receives a vast family of sons like the First Born [Jesus]. The Son [Jesus] receives a glorious Body [Believers] for His expression. The Holy Spirit receives a temple of living stones for His eternal abode. The three in one receiving honor, glory, and satisfaction.”
Colossians 1:16 instructs us that all things were created for Him. Revelation 4:11 adds that He has created all things for His pleasure. Hebrews 2:10 concludes, “For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Ephesians 4:13, 15 speaks of our destiny saying, “‘Till we all come…unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…[that we may] may grow up into Him in all things, who is the head, Christ.” And my favorite: Galatians 4:19 “…’til Christ be formed in you.”
God intends to have a people of His own making—many sons who will show forth His glory in righteousness and holiness.
That is His intention and our destiny. We were created for that. How much more joy, peace and satisfaction will be ours once we yield to what God wants and stop trying to exploit Him for what we want!
That’s called surrender—surrendering our wills for His will. It is called the exchanged life. We would do well if we quit trying to live our self-absorbed, self-defeating lives and allow God in Christ through His Holy Spirit to live His liberating life in and through us.
Do you desire for God to have what He wants and intends? Tell Him in all sincerity, “Lord, I surrender my will and my ways to you. I want what you want at all cost to Self. Clearly reveal your will to me that I may walk in it daily.”
Charles Elliott Newbold, Jr. has served as pastor, teacher and is the author of several books and numerous articles calling forth Christians to live the laid-down life for Jesus Christ. He and his wife, Nancy McDonald Newbold live in Knoxville, Tennessee where Charles continues his writing.