The project coordinator was speaking to her team, “Now the goal of this project,” she said, “is to provide food and blankets for the refugees. We’re not here to solve all their grievances, only to make sure they’re warm and fed. And remember, we’re doing it for the Lord.” “For Him”—that’s our word for today.
When Christians engage in ministry for the purpose of serving the Lord, their goal is to bring glory to Christ—that what is done will cause others to praise God. Well, in Colossians 1:16, we learn that this is also the purpose of creation—to bring glory to the Creator. The end of this verse says, “all things have been created through Him and for Him.” “For Him.”
This word, “for” is a word that expresses the purpose or goal of something. It’s the Greek preposition “eis” and is usually translated “into” or “unto.” “All things were created unto Him.”
My father-in-law was an artist. He worked in oils and painted the most beautiful scenes of the natural world. Now the reason he painted was that it brought pleasure to him. It eventually brought pleasure to others, too. But not before it first brought pleasure to him.
When we ask the question, “Why did God create the universe? Why did He make the world with all of its incredible beauty and diversity? Why?” Well, the most simple and direct answer is He did it unto Himself. He did it for His own pleasure.
Say—do you bring pleasure to Jesus? That’s why you were created, you know.