Have you ever wondered why God saved you? I think it is important to ponder on that question often. Before Christ, I did not offer God anything special. In fact, all I did was sin against Him. I profaned His name in my actions, thoughts, and words. There was not an ounce of righteousness in me. Yet, in spite of my sinful nature that hated the very nature of God, He loved me and He saved me. He did so for His own glory.
Ezekiel was one of God’s prophets who spoke to Israel. In Ezekiel 36:22-23, God told Ezekiel to say…
“Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.”
The act that God was about to perform on Israel was a saving act. He was going to change their hearts. He would do so, not for their sake, but He would do it for His glory.
God created us for His glory. Our fallen nature has caused us to be wayward creatures. Instead of finding fulfillment in His glory, we try to find all we need in the things that not only are not fulfilling, but they leave us feeling emptier than before. Christian, you are saved for God’s glory. You are also saved to be a testimony of God’s glory to the rest of the world. We are not to look like the world, or attempt to fit in with the world. We are called to testify to the love and glory of God; in that He saves wretched sinners who are undeserving. He gives those who repent of their sins and believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ a new heart with new desires, and they taste of the bread that always fulfills and drink the water that always and forever satisfies the ever longing thirst man has apart from Him.