ACT I: Creation | You Belong to God.
This article was first published by Bible Memory Project — a website designed to help you memorize and meditate on the Bible.
Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. (Psalm 100:3)
In this week's verse, Psalm 100:3, the author writes, "It is he who made us, and we are his." You are not an accident or some cosmic coincidence. You are the intentional, thought-out, cherished handiwork of God. You were created in his image to reflect his glory, and he is pleased with you. Paul writes, in Ephesians 2:10, "we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus." And in Psalm 139:13, David says, "you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb." In other words, your identity as a human is not primarily about anything you've done but what God did. He made you. That means two things. First, it means that he cares for you. You are God's treasured child — you belong to him. Second, it means that he knows what's best for your life.
As your Creator, God wants to guide you toward a life filled with deep joy. The writer says, at the end of Psalm 100:3, "we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture." We are the sheep. He is the Shepherd. He guides us to green pastures. He protects us when we walk through the valley. He leads us beside still waters for the sake of his name. He defends us from danger and directs us when we go astray. He cares for you more than you could ever imagine. And yet, so often, we're tempted to think that we know better. We hear the voice of our Shepherd — the very voice of him who created us — and choose instead to live our own way. We forget that God's direction is intended for our good.
I don't know what you've turned to this week to find joy. I don't know what you hope will provide satisfaction in life. What I do know, however, is that God created you, your life belongs to him, and he wants what is best for you. He wants you and me to have true and lasting joy. He is the Creator of the universe and the lover of your soul. He created you to be in a relationship with him. I pray that we live in light of that reality today.
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