It All Starts With God

The whole of life this side of death is about realising what our purpose on earth is really about. Every one discovers that life is, shock of shocks, not about themselves. The whole of life is about transitioning from 'me to God and from mine to yours'. The apostle Paul said "my life is no longer my own. it belongs to another." Jesus said "if you want to gain your life you need to lose it". In one sense all of humanity starts out on the wrong foot. But God specialises in new starts. He never 'wrong foots' us. He, however will invite us to review and to re boot our lives with a new start.


Getting a new start is about discovering His purpose for my life. His start pre dates my birth. Eph. 1:4 says "...He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love..." In other words our intended purpose is wrapped up in God's love which is demonstrated for us through Christ. Our new start is actually heavenly in origin. This contrasts with our earthly status. Our earthly status is measured in terms of earning approval from others. This is tantamount to the donkey trying hard to get the carrot that is set before it, constantly elusive and always frustrating.


Jesus heard and received the words of His heavenly Father "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Mt 3:17) Our new start begins when we too hear the same words "You are My beloved child in whom I am well pleased." The new start in God begins with His evaluation of us. This is foreign to our cultures and our belief systems because these are built upon flawed human assessments that measure our need to find acceptance from others and to earn approval through our efforts. How freeing it is to know that your Heavenly Father measures our value in terms of all that His Son has done. This is the substance of the new start that is offered us.


Realising that we are made for God, gives us a new perspective about who we are and what our real life purpose is all about. We will discover the bigness and the awesome nature of God Himself. We will also marvel at how He is mindful of us. William Anders, an astronaut commented that "we came all the way to explore the moon and the most important thing was that we discovered the earth." When we discover and receive the love of God we will also discover His purpose for our lives and we will be changed forever. When we see that He first loved us, we will be changed. When we see that He first laid hold of us, we will be empowered to lay hold of Him. When we see "the upward call of God in Christ Jesus",  we will be able to move past our past. In fact we will live today for tomorrow. It all starts with God!












This blog is based on a message given by Ross Smith at The Vine church, Logan City, Queensland, Australia, on 2nd Aug 2015  entitled "It All Starts With God". The full message can be accessed by podcast from www.thevine.org.au/teaching