“… it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves…” (Psalm 100:3).
Made in China. Made in Taiwan. Made in Japan. Made in Malaysia.
These are all common tags we see on the products we purchase. The tag reminds us of a distant land we may have only heard about. The tag may remind us of a global economy. The tag may even evoke strong feelings of national pride and seemingly unanswerable questions of trade practices.
On some products we purchase we also find a tag that reads, “Inspected by #4.” These tags make me smile. I wonder, “Who is number four? Is there more than one number four? Is number four a station? Who really made what I am wearing?”
Dear Reader, our verse for today sends one clear message. Believers carry a tag. It is a tag that designates our Maker. We carry God’s tag. The tag reads, “Made by God.” The psalmist describes our tag: “… it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves.”
My entire existence is affected by this verse. This truth affects my worship and work for God. This precept brings me to the realization I did not bring myself into existence; He did. I did not make me; God made me. I read this phrase, and it brings comfort to my soul, conviction to my service, and compassion as I work with others. David’s words in the 139th Psalm say that he was “fearfully and wonderfully made.”
The tag on every person’s life is the same: “Made by God.” We do not make our own way in this life. We may try to make a name for ourselves, but we carry His tag.
When someone accepts the payment for salvation paid by Jesus, we bear another mark on our tag. It is the designation that we were bought with a price. Paul wrote that we are bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). Jesus purchased us with His defeat of death, hell, and the grave. His purchase of me means I am His. I am to put God in the spotlight of my life, or in other words, glorify Him. By faith in Him alone, the tag on my heart says “Purchased.” I am His.
This analogy is simple. It conveys one clear truth. Our lives are not our own; therefore, bring Him glory.
The believer wears the tag “Made and Purchased by God.” Is God pleased with your actions, your attitudes, and your activities?
I want you to find someone today and tell them, “God made me.” Then ask them, “Did you know He paid the price for you to go to heaven?”