Of Him--Through Him--To Him

"For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." (Rom. 11:36)

This is one of those verses that has everything. There is nothing left to say at the end except "Amen." When you think about it, the message of the Bible is this: In the great scheme of things, and in the final analysis, and when push comes to shove…We can do nothing; He can do everything. We cannot save ourselves; but He can. We cannot live the Christian life; but He can live it through us. We have no right to approach God; but He has every right, and He does it daily on our behalf.

I know these are not new truths (what truths are?), but they are truths that can become old to us, if we're not careful. Then we are in danger of beginning to feel that our successes really are our successes. Oh, yes, it's our minds, our hands, and our abilities; but we only have these things because God, in His Sovereign grace, gave them to us. The breath that He breathed into the nostrils of Adam inflates our lungs as well (Gen. 2:7). Therefore, Paul rightly reasons, the glory—all the glory—belongs to Him now and forever.

Shall I simplify it for us?

Everything we are and have is—of Him;

Everything we do must be—through Him;

Therefore, all the glory should go—to Him.

Got it?