A little perspective

Isaiah 43 is definitely one of my favorite passages, especially verses 1-3.

But today verses 7 and 21 stand out to me.

God talks of Israel returning from Babylon, and in describing them, he says,

everyone who bears my name
and is created for my glory.
I have formed them; indeed, I have made them. (Isaiah 43:7)

And again,

The people I formed for myself
will declare my praise. (21)

I asked yesterday about who we tend to point to in our lives: Ourselves? Or Jesus?

And in this passage again, we see what perspective we should hold in life.

We bear God’s name. We were created for his glory. We were created for him.

Sin is essentially turning that perspective 180 degrees. We are concerned about our name. We live for our glory. We act as if we were created  to live for ourselves.

Repentance is all about turning our perspective back to where it belongs.

And so Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15,

For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If one died for all, then all died.

And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.

What perspective do you live your life by?