Life By Design: Your Design and Destiny

"Life By Design: a fresh look at who God is, how He made us and why" is the newest teaching series that I am doing at Fusion. I bring that up because I would love for you to be in the scriptures along with me as I dig into this subject. Why?

"Everything functions from God's purpose and design."

That includes how we see life, what it's purpose is and how we fit in it. All of it emanates from the Scriptures. When you want to understand the ways of God, just look at how He begins things. Origins speak volumes about purpose, because behind every event is God Himself, the great designer of all things.

What do you think of when you read this statement?

"15 He is the divine portrait, the true likeness of the invisible God, and the first-born heir of all creation. 16 For through the Son everything was created, both in the heavenly realm and on the earth, all that is seen and all that is unseen. Every seat of power, realm of government, principality, and authority—it was all created through him and for his purpose! 17 He existed before anything was made, and now everything finds completion in him." (Colossians 1:15-17 - The Passion Translation)

When I see this I am struck that before God began creation, He acted through His Son, who would later redeem all of creation through His body and sacrifice on the cross. That everything that was created was created through Jesus and for His purpose - all things by Him and for Him!

When things are out of "sorts", it is because it is out of alignment with Jesus. Wars, disease, market fluctuations, pressure, tribulations - all of this happens because creation is not yet back in alignment with Jesus, who is its very source of life and purpose.

You see, the Fall of man was not just the introduction of sin to us as individuals, (Romans 3:23 - all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God... sin in Greek is "harmatia", an archery term meaning to fall short of the mark), but the introduction of falling short to the entire planet and its systems. We impacted the world to miss the glory of God. This is one of the most shocking and disturbing things to hit our hearts. Jesus came not only to redeem us but also to reconcile all things to Himself. Read this passage of Colossians 1:18-20 from the Passion Translation:

"18 He is the Head of his body, which is the church. And since he is the beginning and the firstborn heir in resurrection, he is the most exalted One, holding first place in everything. 19 For God is satisfied to have all his fullness dwelling in Christ. 20 And by the blood of his cross, everything in heaven and earth is brought back to himself—back to its original intent, restored to innocence again!"

How does this restoration happen? Through the release of God's presence and the encounter knowledge of it over the face of the Earth and over our lives. The cross made a way for us to encounter the fulness of God in Jesus, His real and eternal presence in face to face contact with Him and it is this that will spread over the earth. Read these verses:

"14 For the earth will be filled

With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,

As the waters cover the sea."

Habbakkuk 2:14 (NKJV)

"6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

2 Corinthians 4:6

God's intent has always been that people would know Him, intimately, fully in all His weighty glory through Jesus, but not in a piece of religious head knowledge, but in intimacy and reality. "In the face of Jesus Christ" is a very purposeful phrase used by Paul. In Hebrew, Paul's heart language and the language of the Old Testament, there was no abstract concept for the "presence". There was only the concrete phrase of face to face; for when you are close to someone's face, you are in their presence and the full weightiness of all they are encounters you. In that kind of proximity with someone so wonderfully famous and amazing, you change and become different.

That's why this verse is so important from Psalm 16:

"11 You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fulness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

The word for the presence there is, you guessed it, face. It is in His presence that we find the fullest expression of joy and design. We were made for Him and for love! We were made to be worshipers (if you doubt that, look at how the people of the earth worship whatever they can). We are made to connect with God as people who are part of the great reconciliation and redemption. To be those who fulfill what was said of Jesus, that He would reconcile all things to Himself! We are part of His original design!

We are to be restored back to innocence again and have you ever noticed how wonderfully fresh and innocent you feel when you are worshiping? When we let go of ourselves and we lay down our inherent self-centeredness and just worship, it is heaven on earth!

It is why Paul urges:

"17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

This is the good news! God was in Christ reconciling the world back to Himself. We are part of that. Our design was for Him and our destiny is Him!

Some questions to consider:

1) In worship, am I more self concious, man concious or God concious? Why?

2) Do I really believe that I am fully reconciled to God, His very righteousness or do I think I have to add to that to be accepted?

3) What needs to change? My deeds, thoughts and/or beliefs? fixation. Fulfill your design and fulfill your destiny!