The Bible is the story of God and His relationship with man. It begins with Genesis 1:1: In the begining God created the heaven and the earth. It ends with Revelation 22:21: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Between these two verses, the Bible student can find the whole of human history, the nature of God and man, and "all things that pertain unto life and godliness" (II Peter 1:3). In the Bible, God has revealed to us His will according to His good pleasure (Ephesians 1:9). It is for His good pleasure that God has done these things.
Notice that the emphasis here is not on man, but on God: God created, our Lord Jesus Christ, life and godliness, God has revealed, His will, His good pleasure. We could go on and on. The point is, God is the creator. We were created for Him and by Him (Colossians 1:16). Therefore, our entire purpose in life is to serve Him and please Him. In Ecclesiastes 12:13 we are told, "Fear God and Keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."
Many approach religion asking, "What is in it for me?" The reality is that there is a great deal in it for me and for you. We are told that if we give things up for Christ, we will recieve "manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting," Luke 18:29-30. This is, however not the point of religion.
When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, he replied, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment," Matthew 22:37. We are also told that, "We love Him, because He first loved us," I John 4:19.
Revelation 4:11 says, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. " God is worthy of our praise, honor, and adoration. It is nothing less than our duty to serve and please Him. If we do, freely and of our own will, He has promised us a reward (Matthew 16:27). This is not a payment for services rendered, but a reward, a gift, from a master to a faithful servant, unearned and undeserved, but given by the master's good pleasure.
In Revelation 22:13, Jesus says, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." He is and was and always will be. Everything we have and are and hope for comes from God. For this reason, we seek to serve Him, to please Him.
How, then can we do this? We can seek to know Him through His word. We can do as Jesus instructed us to do in Matthew 11:29, "Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me..." In other words, in order to have a faith that is pleasing to God, we must start at the beginning.
"In the beginning God..."
Let's make Him first.
Until next time, let me encourage you to search the scriptures daily, whether these things are so. Acts 17:11
May God bless you in your study of his Word.
Copyright November 16, 2003 Mance J. Davis Jr.
