Made for This
Do you realize that you were purposefully, lovingly, and carefully designed by God?
King David said it like this:
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”
Psalm 139:13-14 ESV
Your eyes, brain, heart, muscles, nerves, fingernails, eyelashes, smile, everything.
Not only are you wonderfully complex, but you were also planned before life as we know it existed by your Heavenly Father.
Even as you read these words, your body is doing some incredible things—without your conscious consent. Your fingers are scrolling, your eyes are capturing, your brain is processing …
All the while, your heart is pumping blood, your lungs are managing breath, your eyelids are blinking away dryness, your blood cells are multiplying by the second, your brain is directing your body while simultaneously storing memory—and so much more.
David also points out in other portions of Psalm 139 that God knows everything about us, His presence is inescapable, and He thinks about us so much that such thoughts cannot be numbered.
The point? You are uniquely and intentionally created by God to love Him and the people around you—to know Him, and make Him known.
So, be encouraged. You were made for this.
Jesus Does The Impossible
Jesus’ statement in Matthew 19:26 is often taken out of context. Many people have taken this verse to mean that they can do anything they want in life because God can do the impossible. Often this can lead to selfish prayers and a small view of God.
In order to understand what Jesus is saying, we should read the preceding verses. In Matthew 19:16-22, a young man comes to Jesus asking for eternal life. Jesus tells him that he must give up all of his earthly possessions—something the young man is not willing to do. Because he failed the test, the young man failed to inherit eternal life.
Jesus says in Matthew 19:23 that it is very difficult for a rich man to enter heaven. The point is that loving Jesus requires everything we are. Our ultimate love cannot be split between Jesus and something else.
The disciples then ask, “Who can be saved?” Jesus responds in Matthew 19:26 that it is impossible for man to save himself—but it is possible with God. God can do the ...