Psalm 100:3 Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

This is absolutely essential to every human being, yet we all too often ignore part or even all of it. It starts with absolute, creationist monotheism. Just how God created us is open to interpretation, but the understanding that we are created beings is essential to avoid unbridled hubris on one side and nihilistic meaninglessness on the other. That understanding immediately leads to accountability, and that is addressed here as well: we belong to our Creator. The shepherd doesn’t create his sheep, but other than that, he has absolute authority over the sheep. We tend not to like that! We tend to be like little children whose favorite word is NO! The minute we are directed in something, we want to do something else! However, rebellion is not the path of joy, peace, and fulfillment. God has a plan for each one of us, and it is a far better plan than we could dream up for ourselves. (Jeremiah 29:11) It is when we acknowledge our Creator, and that we belong to Him, that we move more and more fully into the perfect plan that He has created for us. This is where faith comes in, because some of the steps along the way are NOT things we would choose for ourselves. We have to trust God that He knows what He’s doing, and believe that the ultimate outcome will be glorious beyond our imagination.

I have certainly had my rebellious moments, but I’m very grateful my parents instilled the principle of accountability into me. I have known that my actions had consequences, for myself and for those around me, and that has given me a desire for those consequences to be good. At this point I am convinced that God has been incredibly gracious to me, far more than I could ever have deserved. I have no idea how much longer the Lord will keep me in this body, but for however long that is, I want to be following His plan so that He may be pleased with me. Just yesterday I was invited to teach on Spiritual Gifts, and the prospect is exciting. I want everything God has placed in me to fulfill every purpose God had in giving it to me, so that many may be drawn to repentance and faith, for their salvation and God’s glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your perfect plan for me, Help me fulfill it more and more accurately and fully, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Praise God!