Journal Entry // July 15, 2022
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (ESV)
Romans 11:36
All things… Not just the things we can see. Not just the things we want to ascribe. Not just the immeasurable number of natural phenomena that are beyond human control. All things. There is nothing in all of life that is exempt from this description of God’s sovereign control. From the most distant atom in the farthest galaxy, to the sun rising upon the earth again and again, to the seeming moments of coincidence and randomness. Nothing is outside the perfect loving hand of the Creator. For each and every moment, each and every circumstance is from him and through him and to him. Why? For his glory alone!
As I think about the implications of this verse it causes me to once again shake my head in humble repentance. This is not the normal thought pattern of my heart and mind. I want to believe that I am in control of the events of my life. That I can be and do anything that I set my mind to. Now if I was living in the Spirit and pursuing these goals with the mindset of humble dependence giving glory to God, amen. But that is not what I normally think. My natural thought process is that “I” can make all things better through my understanding and wisdom. When something goes wrong or something wrong is done to me, I want retribution. I want someone to know they have wronged me. I want to repay them back for their wrong actions. I want this because I am prideful and arrogant. I want this because I have a heart full of sin seeking to lift myself up.
I need this proper perspective of the power of the Almighty. All things are from him. The good and the bad circumstances of this life are all from the Lord. I think about Joseph being thrown in a pit by his brothers, being sold into slavery, being tossed in a dungeon. These are surely bad circumstances in the life of Joseph and to be sure he tried to alleviate these circumstance and find release from slavery and the dungeon. But he was also aware that these present circumstances were brought to him from the Lord.
All things are through him and to him. I often remember that everything comes from the Lord. I tend to forget that they also go through and to him. I want to take this part. I want to acknowledge that God has brought it to me, but I must accomplish it in my own strength. I say, “Yes, Lord, thank you for your calling to this position. I will work to the fullest of my strength.” This is great, but what I mean in this is that I will work in my strength alone. I neglect that I am dependent upon the Lord and must continue in my work through him and to him.
This is the beauty of the life of Christ in the gospels. Jesus understood this truth and lived it out perfectly. He understood that all of life was from, through, and to the Lord. Jesus lived this out in his relationship with the Father and in his relationships with others. As he worked and ministered among the people, he always had the mindset of from, through, and to God. I need to continue to reform my mindset and better understand my humble dependence upon the Lord in all things. I want to acknowledge that my very breathing is from, through, and to God alone. I want this to be so a part of my life that I never really think about it. I want my natural mindset to be focused on always seeing this from, through, to perspective. So that in all things I may give glory to God. Even the most mundane of activities are for the glory of God. My faithfulness in the small things is like a pleasing aroma of burning sacrifice to the Lord. Humble repentance and dependence is the character I am aiming for in this journey.