” For of Him,
and through Him,
and to Him, are all things:
to Whom be glory for ever. Amen .”
Romans 11:36
This short and meaningful verse provides a wonderful picture of the sovereignty of God. Join me as we explore how all things in our lives come from God; how all things pass through His hands before they come to us; and how we are to live our lives solely for Him and His glory.
For of Him are all things . ” In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth ” (Genesis 1:1). God is the Creator of the world and all things in it. He was the Creator on the first day spoken of in Genesis 1:1 and continues to be the Creator today. ” All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was mad e” (John 1:3). Just as much as He created the heavens and the earth, He creates each new life today. ” And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist ” (Colossians 1:17). From each spring flower to each new child, He is responsible. Psalm 139:13-15 reminds us of the hands that formed us in our mother’s womb, ” thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth .” Just as God knew who and what the prophet Jeremiah was going to be before He was born, He knew each of us, ” For there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11). ” Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee ” (Jeremiah 1:5). Our Lord God is the Creator of all things, from big to small, and His plan is at work in all things. ” But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him ” (1 Corinthians 8:6). As you go about your day today, thank God for each creation that you see, acknowledging His sovereignty over all things and His presence in all thing.
And through Him are all things. All the events that occur in our days pass through the hands of our Almighty God. ” O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me ” (Psalms 139:1-5). He knows us and has a plan for each of us. ” For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end ” (Jeremiah 29:11). God’s Holy hands are guiding our days and nothing comes to us that is not sanctioned by Him. All things that happen in our days may not seem good to us, but we can always be assured that there is a purpose to each and every event and that God uses all things for good. ” And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose ” (Romans 8:28). It is His purposes that are at work. God is in control of our days and we must have faith in Him and in His purposes that we might see the His plans unfold. Hebrews 11:6 emphasizes the importance of faith, ” But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him “. Whenever you come to a place where you are wondering, “Where is God in this?”, think back to the story of Lazarus in John 11. Mary and Martha had called for Jesus to come because their brother Lazarus was dying, but the Lord waited a number of days before going. When He came, they were upset and couldn’t understand why He had waited to come until after Lazarus had died. But as Jesus had the stone of the tomb rolled away, He said to Martha, ” Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God ?” (John 11:40). For Christ knew that it was a greater blessing to the lives and faith of Mary and Martha to see their brother raised from the dead than healed of his illness. God has plans and blessings for each and all of our days. As life’s circumstances arise, seek the Lord and ask Him to come and walk you through it. God promises to never give us more than we can bear (I Corinthians 10:13) and promises that we will never walk alone (Hebrews 13:5).
And to Him are all things. ” And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him ” (Colossians 3:17). As Christians, we are to live our days to the glory of God. All that we do is to be for Him and all that we do is to be for His glory and not ours. Most importantly, when we are seeking His glory in all that we do, we have His strength to support us (Philippians 4:13). ” Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God ” (I Corinthians 10:31). This verse tells us that the smallest things we do, we can do in such a way that brings God glory. Everything we do is an opportunity to “show off” Jesus. ” Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven ” (Matthew 5:16). We have countless opportunities each day to show the world Jesus and to give Him the glory for the events in our days. In each little thing that you do, you can show others Christ. Always remember that all that you do should point others to Him!
” For of Him,
and through Him,
and to Him, are all things:
to Whom be glory for ever. Amen .”
Romans 11:36
My friends, this short, but powerful verse speaks volumes of the world that we as believers live in. We live in a word where our Almighty God creates each and every object, plant, animal and person. His Creation surrounds us each and every day. We live in a world where each and every event has passed through Christ’s sovereign will. Though we may not always understand, we can always be assured of His grace and mercy to see us through every situation. And lastly, living in light of that fact that our Almighty Father created us and that He holds our hands as we walk through our days, how can we not give Him the glory? All that we have is from Him and therefore all that we do must be to His Glory in thanksgiving. My friends, this is the world that we as believers are privileged to live in. Embrace it and as you do, He will supply all that you need ” according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus ” (Philippians 4:19).
” To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (I Peter 5:11).