Not According to the Benefit
Psalm 19:1, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork."
Truly, the Creator has given us a beautiful world to enjoy. Though marred by the curse of sin, it is still a marvellous masterpiece showing forth God's goodness to man. It seems that whenever God has given anything to man, it has always been His best. With the desire to reconcile a lost and damned creation to Himself, God gave His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be the sacrificial Lamb. Suffering the penalty of sin for us, He made a way that we might return to the Father through Him.
While man remains in his sin, it is impossible to please his Creator. The Scriptures clearly state in Hebrews 11: 6, "But without faith, it is impossible to please him ..."
Rom. 14:23 tells us, "...that which is not of faith is sin."
In spite of the fact that provision has been made for payment of the sin debt through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by faith, many souls refuse to enter into that relationship. Not only does this deny them salvation and eternal life, but it denies God the Creator/Redeemer what is rightfully His!
God has a two fold claim on every person; one by creation and the other by redemption. It would seem that man chooses not to acknowledge either. For this reason, God's crowning creation (man) has not rendered to God according to the benefit.
Man is always blindly seeking purpose to his existence. If he would but take the time to read the scriptures, he would see clearly his reason for being. Rev. 4:11, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
The first step to achieving purpose in life is to be born again. Have you been born again? You should, if for no other reason than you owe it to God, that is, you should render to Him according to the benefit. He is worthy of the reward of His sacrifice. As regarding yourself, let it not be said that His sacrifice was in vain.
Submitted by: Pastor Percy Lake
Blessed Hope Baptist Church, Bridgewater, N.S.