God Hates Religion
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God Hates Religion
God Hates Religion
This may sound like a strange title for a sermon
After all didn’t God create religion?
Actually No, God created man, and man created religion
Religion is mans attempt to please a hostile god,
God created man for a intimate relationship
I believe the greatest obstacle the modern church faces is how susceptible we are to behaving in a religious way.
And how we allow religion to replace the God intended relationship.
Now you will notice that most religious people have no problem with being called religious
They actually take pride in it.
Let me tell you in certainty religion will get you nowhere you want to be.
Now I know this is strange coming from a Christian Pastor
but I see religion as a yoke that prevents us from truly knowing God
The second greatest privilege is to serve God with good works, which He performs through us as we allow Him to do so.
These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
Hear the word of the Lord,
You rulers of Sodom;
Give ear to the instruction of our God,
You people of Gomorrah.
“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle;
And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
“When you come to appear before Me,
Who requires of you this trampling of My courts?
“Bring your worthless offerings no longer,
Incense is an abomination to Me.
New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.
“I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts,
They have become a burden to Me;
I am weary of bearing them.
“So when you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you multiply prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are covered with blood.
Isai
Hear the word of the Lord,
You rulers of Sodom;
Give ear to the instruction of our God,
You people of Gomorrah.
“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle;
And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
“When you come to appear before Me,
Who requires of you this trampling of My courts?
“Bring your worthless offerings no longer,
Incense is an abomination to Me.
New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.
“I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts,
They have become a burden to Me;
I am weary of bearing them.
“So when you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you multiply prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are covered with blood.
“You shall not behave thus toward the Lord your God, for every abominable act which the Lord hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
Isaiah
“I hate, I reject your festivals,
Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.
“Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.
“Take away from Me the noise of your songs;
I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
“But let justice roll down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:
‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;
and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.
‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.
‘Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
The doctrine of the Nicolaitans is the teaching that there is a strict hierarchy within God's church that must be respected by all.
Ranks and levels are created in order to maintain power and control so that, ultimately, the lowest level of the church (the members) can be ruled over and taken advantage of at any time.
Rev 2
The whole system feeds on competition and strife among those who consider themselves Christians.
God Hates that!
Religion is inevitably the result of man taking that which is of God and forming it, formulating it, in such a way that men end up "playing God.
Its doing what is right, but with the wrong motivation
The Pharisees were experts at good deeds.
They were trying to keep 248 commandments and 365 restrictions within the expanded Jewish law.
But their expertise was in outward conformity rather than purity of heart.
They didn’t murder, but they did hate (,).
They didn’t commit adultery but they did lust ().
They gave to the poor, but they did so to look good ().
They did the right things for the wrong reasons.
Jesus spoke about this
“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
We need to guard ourselves from a religious mindset
not risk becoming complacent and satisfied where we are at
rather we need to continuously hear from God where we should take our next step
People in the world see me as being religious, but may I never prove them right!
I believe this is where most Christians struggle.
Both of these privileges are a result of God’s grace.
Its no secret we have a job to do.
God create you with a purpose in mind.
God has an incredibly valuable task for you.
Have you ever asked? Why Did God create me?
Why Did God place me in this time period or in the family I’m in?
Do I really matter in the whole scheme of things?
It is actually part of a divine plan to carry out God’s purpose in a most excellent way
After all there are almost 7 1/2 billion people in the world. Does my Life really matter
David asked a similiar question:
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
Why did God create us?
Why didn’t he just stop with the animals? After all their pretty cute
Well let me assure you it was not by accident
They most likely get along and don’t try to deny His existence.
Why Did God Create us?
It is actually part of a divine plan to carry out God’s purpose in a most excellent way
Well let me assure you it was not by accident
You are not an accumulation of mistakes or a by product of chance
It is actually part of a divine plan to carry out God’s purpose in a most excellent way
First, it wasn't because he needed us:
God Did not create us out of an unmet need
“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;
nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;
And he didn't make us because he was lonely.
Long before we were here, God already had "company" with his Son and the Holy Spirit, referred to in
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
, "Let us make man in our own image."
And he didn't make us because he needed his ego fed.
And he didn't make us because he needed his ego fed. It's not like God made us to satisfy some craving to be worshiped. God is totally secure in who he is—without us.
It's not like God made us to satisfy some craving to be worshiped.
God is totally secure in who he is—without us.
Second, despite not needing us,
God chose to create us anyway, out of his great love:
The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying,
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.
Yes, God loved us before he even created us.
It's impossible to get our heads around that idea, but it's true; that's what "everlasting" love means.
God is love
The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
, and because of that love and his wonderful creativity, he made us so we can enjoy all that he is and all that he's done.
and because of that love and His wonderful creativity, He made us so we can enjoy all that he is and all that he's done.
Third, God created us to fulfill his eternal plan.
in His infinite wisdom, chose to make us a part of His plan to restore His creation.
What part do we play in this plan? Well, the Bible is full of instructions for how we should live our lives.
I’ll give you a hint, its the focus of our Church
Love God, Love People, Make Disciples
1.Love God
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Deuter
2. "Love People”
“The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
2. "Love your neighbor as yourself" ().
).
3. Make Disciples
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Your remember Loving God means obeying God
So you could sum up your purpose in 2 words
LOVE GOD
If all you did in Life was Love God, you would do alright
A primary part of Loving God is doing what He wants you to do.
I believe this is where most Christians struggle.
We get so caught up with rituals and religion, we often forget that its all about a relationship. and being obedient to the will of the father
and being obedient to the will of the father
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
3. "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" ().
).
You see some people, actual many people, believe you can earn God’s Love by doing the right thing. Or maybe just avoid His wrath
Its the basis of every religion. Including the religion of christianity
Sorry no…you can’t
You see some people, actual many people, believe you can earn God’s Love by doing the right thing.
Sorry no…you can’t
He Loved you before He even created you.
The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying,
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.
How could you have possibly earned it?
The same in that you cannot earn His Love through your actions
neither can you loose His Love through your actions
His Love for us is based upon who He is, not on anything we can do or not do!
God created us for a personal relationship, and religion gets in the way of that
Wait a minute, I know what some of your are thinking. Your a Pastor of a Church, you have to be religious
Wait a minute, I know what some of your are thinking. Your a Pastor of a Church, you have to be religious
Religion is an evil thing
Actually I intentionally do everything I can to prevent from being religious
Maybe you think God created religion.
No actually He didn’t, Man created religion under the supervision of satan.
God created us for a personal relationship, and religion gets in the way of that
It entagles people into a false sense of hope.
As long as I do this and don’t do that, then god will be happy with me and I’ll get to go to heaven!
The next step is to see how much you can get away with before he disowns you
Unfortuneately, that how many so called Christians live their lives.
putting in the bare minimum just to get past by the skin of their teeth.
By definition, religion is “an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods.”
Sounds like christianity, right?
Let me suggest that not all christians are followers of Jesus Christ.
Allow me to show you what I mean
Religion sees people as the enemy. Jesus sees sin as the enemy
Religion sees people as the enemy. Jesus sees sin as the enemy
true, authentic Christianity has never started a war. It has never killed another person.
person.
neither can you loose His Love through your actions
Religion has....most definitely
His Love for us is based upon who He is, not on anything we can do or not do!
Jesus didn’t come to draw battle lines between people.
He came to draw battle lines between God and the devil. He came to destroy sin. Because sin is the enemy, not people.
Too many times Christians fight the battle against the wrong enemy.
Jesus loved people. All people. Even those who hung him on a cross
Religion says showing grace is dangerous. Jesus says, “I know.”
Religion says showing grace is dangerous. Jesus says, “I know.”
Grace is scandalous. It’s like a wild animal that can’t be tamed.
Except the animal is full of love, mercy, and forgiveness, not huge claws, sharp teeth, and a big appetite.
But religion doesn’t care. It just sees something uncontrollable. And religion doesn’t deal with uncontrollable. It’s too dangerous.
Religion grades righteousness on a curve. Jesus grades righteousness on a cross.
Religion grades righteousness on a curve. Jesus grades righteousness on a cross.
When I was in University I had a few classes that graded on the Bell Curve
The point was not to learn the information presented, but rather just know it better than the people around you.
This is what religion says. The standard is those people closest to you. So, as long as Jill or Bobby don’t go “Jesus Freak” on you, everyone is good. In fact, religion secretly hopes some people fail. Religion is secretly okay if Jill or Bobby bombs every test. It lowers the curve.
With Jesus, however, righteousness is measured by the cross.
When righteousness is graded on the cross, everyone looks strikingly similar. Murderers. Candy thieves. Liars.
When you realize the cross alone is the standard for righteousness, you will run to it and praise God for taking your filthiness and replacing it with his perfectness.
And you will encourage others to run with you.
Religion makes God the boss and you the employee. Jesus makes God the father and you the son.
Religion makes God the boss and you the employee. Jesus makes God the father and you the son.
Religion is a like a contract. Contracts have conditions.
Do the right things, you are fine.
Do the wrong things, you will be looking for another job. There is no intimacy or relationship.
Often times, there is no dialogue. Just do your part (act right) and God will do his (allow you into heaven).
Jesus says God is your father and you are his son or daughter.
Children don’t have contracts.
Yes I want my children to do right, but my love for them is not based on what they choose to do
This is why Jesus tells the story of the Prodigal Son ().
God not only allows his children to come home if they abuse his goodness, he throws them a party! A party!
Now, that sounds like a God I want to serve!
Religion says only listen to, attend, and watch “Christian” things. Jesus says be the truth everywhere.
Religion says only listen to, attend, and watch “Christian” things. Jesus says be the truth everywhere.
Religion says anything that doesn’t have Jesus written squarely across the building, song, or movie is sinful.
But with Jesus there is no such thing as Christian and non-Christian schools, music, and movies.
Schools and events become Christian when followers of Jesus are present.
TWEET THIS!
But with Jesus there is no such thing as Christian and non-Christian schools, music, and movies. It’s interesting that many Christians say a sign on the outside of a building doesn’t make a church. Yet, these same Christians (myself included) turn around and say a school or movie is Christian because “Christian” is somewhere in the title.
Schools and events become Christian when followers of Jesus are present.
Music becomes “Christian” when truth is present, even if the singer isn’t “Christian”
Schools and events become Christian when followers of Jesus are present. Music becomes “Christian” when truth is present, even if the singer isn’t “Christian” (). Christians like to create distinct lines between secular and sacred, but those lines aren’t anywhere in the Bible. Neither are the terms.
What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will rejoice,
Christians like to create distinct lines between secular and sacred, but those lines aren’t anywhere in the Bible. Neither are the terms.
This means we need Christians everywhere.
Secular schools. Music. Movies. “Christian” schools. Law firms. Hospitals. Everywhere.
God doesn’t create lines between “Christian” and non-Christian.
And every inch of the earth he wants to restore.
And every inch of the earth he wants to restore.
Religion is fueled by fear and punishment. Jesus is fueled by love and mercy.
Religion is fueled by fear and punishment. Jesus is fueled by love and mercy.
Religion uses fear and punishment as primary motivators. “You better do all the right things or God’s wrath is waiting for you.
They don’t earn God’s Love, we already have that
Eph
They’ don’t earn us salvation.
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Finally, perhaps the most important part we play in God's eternal plan is to point people to eternal life with God—through his Son Jesus Christ. The Bible calls this our "ministry of reconciliation" ().
Finally, perhaps the most important part we play in God's eternal plan is to point people to eternal life with God—through his Son Jesus Christ. The Bible calls this our "ministry of reconciliation" ().
That's why we're here. But it's also important to note that we have a choice in all of this. When God created us, he didn't make us pawns in some cosmic chess game. We're not his toy soldiers. God gives us freedom of choice.
Bottom line: God may not need us, but we certainly need him. I hope you've made the choice to put your trust completely in him—and play an exciting part in his loving, eternal plan.
You are in the situations of your life that He created uniquely for you, should carry out His will on earth, as it is done on heaven.
Come to Jesus or you will burn in hell forever.”
Your job is to prove how good and acceptable and perfect His will is,
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Religion paints God as an angry, spiteful cynic who sits around with the angels waiting for someone to screw up so he can turn them into salt or something.
)
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
But Jesus’s life and actions were driven by love.
Next message
Perhaps one of the most beautiful and life-affirming passages in the Bible are the words of David in
You see, what makes God amazing is not his infinite power.
What makes God amazing is he chooses to love relentlessly even though he has infinite power.
I get angry (holy anger, of course) when I think about the way many preachers drive people to God through manipulation and scare tactic.
And once people are scared into Christ, every decision is filtered through whether or not God will strike them dead.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.
For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.
O that You would slay the wicked, O God;
Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.
For they speak against You wickedly,
And Your enemies take Your name in vain.
Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
Fear creates lifeless religion. Fear creates Christians who only want God so they can escape hell.
. “My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all are written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” .
And eternity with God is not a place for those scared of hell. It is a place for those who love God.
God has carefully and individually made each of us, “fearfully and wonderfully.”
Religion is safe and practical. Jesus is radical and unpredictable.
Religion is safe and practical. Jesus is radical and unpredictable.
God has carefully and individually made each of us, “fearfully and wonderfully.” () So if He thought of us and created each of us so intentionally, we need to understand His purpose for the lives He has given us.
So if He thought of us and created each of us so intentionally, we need to understand His purpose for the lives He has given us.
With religion, there is no need to take risks.
Maybe go on a mission trip once in your lifetime. But, generally speaking, just do the right thing.
Religion is very practical. It makes sense.
There are no surprises. Five steps to salvation.
Church the same time every week.
Religion doesn’t ask much from you. It doesn’t deliver much either.
But Jesus? If Jesus had a middle name, it would be “Unpredictable.”
Jesus kept everyone on their toes.
He ate with tax collectors.
He scolded the religious people.
He interceded on behalf of prostitutes. He claimed to be…(wait for it)…God.
And ultimately God died on a cross. For me. And you. Now that’s radical.
Religion says if you follow God, he will bless your life. Jesus says if you follow God he will give you life.
Religion says if you follow God, he will bless your life. Jesus says if you follow God he will give you life.
Religion says if you behave, God will give you prosperity, a new house, and the hot guy or girl across the street.
Look no further than the two most important days on the Christian calendar. Easter and Christmas. Ironically (not really) these are also the two most materialistic days on the calendar.
Jesus came to bring you life, not stuff.
Jesus came to bring you life, not stuff. And to follow Jesus for any other reason than new life is to belittle the cross. You see, all of humanity was dead before Jesus. No life. No hope. And this is what Jesus came to give. New life. This is the greatest gift you could receive.
And to follow Jesus for any other reason than new life is to belittle the cross.
You see, all of humanity was dead before Jesus.
No life. No hope. And this is what Jesus came to give. New life.
This is the greatest gift you could receive.
Houses, cars, and bank accounts are never totally yours. Once you die, someone else gets them.
But new life is a gift that lasts for eternity. I’ll take the latter. Every time.
Religion says come to church and serve. Jesus says go into the world and serve.
Religion says come to church and serve. Jesus says go into the world and serve.
Two things circulate over and over in my mind when it comes to the church.
The first is
‘Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’
. “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” The second is this question first posed in a book I read several years ago. “If your church closed its doors today, would the community even know (or care)?”
The second is this question first posed in a book I read several years ago.
“If your church closed its doors today, would the community even know (or care)?”
Religion doesn’t care about either of these. Religion says come to church.
Serve in church. Protect your house. Don’t worry about anything outside the walls.
And certainly not those bad sinners outside the walls.
While I think it’s great to serve in church, this isn’t where the church’s responsibility ends.
In , Jesus tells Peter the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. Now, I am just thinking out loud here. But it seems for gates not to prevail, something (or someone) must be in a position to knock them over. This is where God’s people come into the picture. Christians are to go into the darkness and push down the gates of hell wherever they are. This is why the Great Commission tells us to “Go.” There is a direct relationship between the church’s mission of going out and hell’s gates coming down.
“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
it seems for gates not to prevail, something (or someone) must be in a position to knock them over.
This is where God’s people come into the picture. Christians are to go into the darkness and push down the gates of hell wherever they are.
This is why the Great Commission tells us to “Go.”
There is a direct relationship between the church’s mission of going out and hell’s gates coming down.
You are unique
This message is not an indictment on Christians.
This post is an indictment on religion.
Christianity and religion are polar opposites.
Jesus didn’t go to the cross so we would follow some doctrines and commands.
Jesus didn’t die on a cross so we could escape the evils of the world and hopefully end up in heaven.
Jesus died to give us life. Jesus died to put the scandal of grace and love on full display.
And once we experience this scandal, our lives will never be the same.
I love you all. To God be the glory forever. Amen!
Next Message
Next Message
So what are good works for?They don’t earn God’s Love, we already have thatThey’ don’t earn us salvation.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
NASB95not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Eph 2:
NASB95For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Finally, perhaps the most important part we play in God's eternal plan is to point people to eternal life with God—through his Son Jesus Christ. The Bible calls this our "ministry of reconciliation" (
).That's why we're here. But it's also important to note that we have a choice in all of this. When God created us, he didn't make us pawns in some cosmic chess game. We're not his toy soldiers. God gives us freedom of choice.Bottom line: God may not need us, but we certainly need him. I hope you've made the choice to put your trust completely in him—and play an exciting part in his loving, eternal plan. You are in the situations of your life that He created uniquely for you, should carry out His will on earth, as it is done on heaven. Your job is to prove how good and acceptable and perfect His will is,
NASB95Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
NASB95For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Next messagePerhaps one of the most beautiful and life-affirming passages in the Bible are the words of David in
NASB95For the choir director. A Psalm of David. O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.
God has carefully and individually made each of us, “fearfully and wonderfully.” So if He thought of us and created each of us so intentionally, we need to understand His purpose for the lives He has given us. You are unique