For unto us a child is born …. (Isaiah 9:6)
In part one, we saw how a person’s sense of identity largely determines the boundaries of their destiny, both qualitatively and quantitively. Today, we examine a seemingly obvious but grossly understated and underrated truth alongside its over-arching ramifications.
YOU … WERE BORN!
“… For this purpose I was born, and for this purpose I have come into the world …” “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (John 18:37; Ephesians 2:10)
As trite and mundane as this may sound (and just in case you hadn’t considered it in a while), please be advised of this groundbreaking news ….. You were born, and not just as an act of biology, but for an amazingly thought out and preplanned destiny (refer to the Scripture references shared in part one, such as Psalms 139, Jeremiah 1:5 &10; 29:11-13, Ephesians 2:10, Matthew 5:13-16, Isaiah 60:1-3 and 1 Peter 2:9)!
You were born a masterpiece, uniquely crafted and created to reflect certain aspects of God’s astonishing radiance, intelligence, creativity, beauty, artistry, sagacity, proficiency, artillery; the list is endless. In essence, you were born to showcase God to all of creation, especially to those who do not know Him, and to inherently “wow” your universal audience while doing so!
Those who acknowledge God as their origin and source are able to do this to their fullest potential while living out their limited time on earth – if they are mindful, aligned with God in purpose, and intent on fulfilling His glorious plan. Those who do not acknowledge the one true God or are careless or disinterested in living out His preplanned story for their lives will sadly miss out on the best of His glories.
If you belong to the first category, a life of mind-boggling adventure awaits you! Let us briefly examine some wondrous consequences of your birth.
YOUR SUPREMACY
“Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over ….” (Genesis 1:28a)
Genesis 1:26-28 is the prototypical verse for this concept. As an offspring of God temporarily deployed to earth to manage His assets, proliferate His diverse portfolio and represent Him in all matters, your predetermined purpose and one of God’s objectives in birthing you could not have been more clearly stated (the other objective being just as explicit in Revelation 4:11 and similar). Your job description is straightforward (verse 28); you are to propagate, proliferate, permeate, subjugate (evil) and dominate (the forces behind evil). The goal is clear; the charge – simple, short and sweet.
YOUR ULTIMATUM
“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. …” (Deuteronomy 30:19a)
Deuteronomy 28 (the entire chapter, but if you are anything like me, verses 1-14 are sufficient and all that are necessary, thank you!), Deuteronomy 30:11-20, and Joshua 24:14-15 are excellent examples of the choices you are faced with after you understand the objectives surrounding your birth. The choice is simple – use your free will to come to God through Jesus Christ, learn, love, understand and align with His glorious plan (in other words, “GET WITH THE PROGRAM!”), or choose your own agenda and lose out on the benefits and protection plan God’s superlative blueprint offers. The choice is yours.
YOUR LEGACY
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished my race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me …” … “By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death…” … “All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith …” (2 Timothy 4:7-8; Hebrews 11:33-35; 39)
Your birth was an intended game changer to the annals of human history. While this may seem a little far-fetched and purely motivational in intention, a look at Acts 4:13-14; 17:6, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; and 2:9 may change your perspective. Both biblical and human history document various times where the world was greatly impacted by ordinary individuals; and often uneducated and unremarkable ones at that. The penultimate hall of faith & fame mentioned in Hebrews 11 further attests to this. The Bible lists men and women, young and old, great and small, exceptional and unexceptional among the many in its archives whose feats caught eternity’s attention and resulted in mighty, heaven-applauded legacies.
People determined to fulfill destiny to the fullest are agents who allow God’s light to guide their lives into aligning strategically with His predefined pattern and who refuse to veer off their unique paths. Paul captures it best in Acts 20:24; ” … I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me …”
The following is an ode to my (earthly) father which briefly but aptly describes his great legacy, as does its lengthier version titled “The Legacy of A Champion.” Permit this snapshot highlighting the essence of a notable legacy.
The Legacy of a Giant
A Giant of a Man? Yes, a great one indeed,
And the footprints of his life have now given us the lead.
The onus lies on us, of these great paths to follow,
The imprints in the sand of his godly ways to hallow.
***
Live well, love large, run enduringly the race,
So on the other side of glory, you can see His radiant face.
Stand firm, live strong, make the godly choice,
So on the day of reckoning you hear God’s vibrant voice …
Saying ….
***
“Well done, I’m pleased, good and faithful one,
Your earthly life well lived, my giant son.
Enter now, enter in, taste the joy of your Lord,
For great are the bounties of your magnificent reward!”
May your life and name be engraved in heaven’s ultimate hall of faith’s fame, and may history, legacy, progeny and destiny celebrate the fact of your birth for all eternity!
MORE MUSING MATERIAL
Isaiah 43:7 – Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
Titus 2:14 – Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Romans 11:36 – For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things …
Ecclesiastes 12:13 – Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Isaiah 43:21 – This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
John 15:15 – Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Genesis 2:15 – And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
Acts 17:27 – That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us …
1 Samuel 12:24 – Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.