Thursday SOAP

Scripture
"For through him, God created everything in the heavenly realms and on the earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see - such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him" - Colossians 1:16

Observation
Jesus was both the agent and object of creation - the cause of creation and the reason for its cause. Wow!

Application
I - as an individual - fall under "everything", the "everything" that was created by and for Christ. This is the most important truth about who I am. Reminds me of the great quote from the Quaker Douglas Steere: "The question 'Who am I?' must lead to the question "Whose am I?'. There is no selfhood apart from relationship." The God who exists in relationship creates humans made and molded for relationship - made to belong to Someone and to find their identity here.

Prayer
Lord, thank you for this reminder. I do not belong to myself - you made me for YOURself. And because you are ultimate and perfect good, my very best good is to live as a man who is wholly owned by you - body, mind, heart, possessions, time, dreams - EVERYTHING I am is yours. Amen.