Romans 11:36
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
From God come all things. What a glorious promise for the believer, and yet what a truth that our flesh so desperately wants to avoid. We don’t want to believe that all comes from God because in our depravity and selfishness we want to define for ourselves what is good and true and beautiful. We long to be like God and are tempted to think God is like us.
We race to fashion a god in our own minds and bow down to our subjective tendencies to feel better about ourselves. Our hearts seek to dethrone the Lord of all and place our self-righteousness and our self-worth on the throne of grace. Every person, apart from the grace of God, longs to ignore God’s Word when He says, “Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish.”
But let us look not to ourselves and only to our blessed Savior. He has promised He will withhold nothing that is for our good. “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” “The Lord disciplines those he loves as a father the son in whom he delights.” So let us remember, “in the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.”
To God and God alone be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Genesis 3:5, Jeremiah 51:17–18, Psalm 84:11, Psalm 34:18, Proverbs 3:12, Ecclesiastes 7:14
Father, how easily I attempt to avoid Your sovereignty. I pay it lip service when it is convenient and then deny and gnash my teeth at You when it does not fit what I in my depravity desire. Help me to rest in the truth of who You are and to think rightly about You regardless of what the world says. Bring to my mind and my heart the truthfulness of Your Word and lead me in Your way everlasting. Help me to walk humbly before You with the certainty of who You are and who I am in all situations. I praise You, Lord, that You have made known to us that from You and through You and to You are all things. To You be the glory forever and ever. Amen