You were created for this

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Sound doctrine, strong faith”

Our Bible verse for today: “They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, and the promises.” Romans 9:4 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You were created for this”

You were created to know God, to love Him, to enjoy Him forever, and to share the knowledge of Him with others. That’s the message Paul had about the Jews in Romans chapter nine but that same truth applies to you and I.

The Israelites were God’s chosen people. As a nation and as individuals they were created to have a special relationship with God, the one that Paul had described so vividly and with so much passion in Romans chapter eight. Their entire history as a people was all about the fact that God created them as His own. He nurtured them, He provided for them, He protected them, He called out to them, He even bled for them. They were created for what Paul had been writing about and Paul wanted that for them so badly!

But that’s not just true for the Jews. It’s not just the Jews who were created for and called to that. This is true for all of us. John 3:16 tells us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This is about you. You were created for this. At first, I said “they”, “they were created for this – meaning the Jews of Paul’s day – and that certainly was true. But the greater and much more personal truth is that you were created for this. To you and to all the people you encounter every day – John 3:16 applies. And just as it applied to both the individual Jews of Paul’s day as well as to the nation of Israel, this call applies to individual Americans – the ones that you interact with every day, as well as to our entire nation.

Can God save America from the path of destruction we are on? He can and He will if we will turn to Him in repentance. It is sometimes said that 2 Chronicles 7:14 is an Old Testament promise that was spoken to the nation of Israel and can therefore only be applied to them. God said, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” If that only applied to Old Testament Israel, then would it be true that if an entire nation of people did turn to God in repentance that God would not heal their land? That would be absurd. Of course He would heal a nation that turned to Him in repentance. Psalm 33:12 tells us that “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”

But we need to remember that a nation is made up of individuals. And for there to be a revival and spiritual awakening in a nation, it must happen in the hearts of individuals. It must happen one person at a time on the grassroots level. In other words, it must start with you and me and with your neighbor. As King David said in Psalm 51:10; “Create a pure heart in me, O God; renew a right spirit in me.” It must start with you, and it must start with me.

You were created for this. You were created to know Jesus, to love Him, and to share Him with others.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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