To Him be glory forever. Amen

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Or who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. (Rom 11:33-36)

Paul writes this at the very end of eleven full chapters of deep, rich doctrine. He covered Man's sin condition and the only possible remedy of being saved by faith in Christ's payment on our behalf. He talked about the new life, the "baptized into His death and raised to His new life" kind of new life. He illustrated the ongoing problem of sin and the solution, the Holy Spirit at work in us. He talked of the ultimate goal -- formed into Christ's image -- and waxed eloquent about the promise that is in God's choosing, not in birth. He spoke of the power of the Word and of faith and explained how we are grafted into the tree, the root of which is Christ. Really, really big concepts. Lots of deep doctrine. So as Paul transitions from right thinking (orthodoxy) to right living (orthopraxy), he offers this doxology.

You see, Paul understood that the whole aim, the whole point, the whole purpose ... of everything is God -- His riches, His wisdom, His knowledge, His ways, His glory. God isn't a peripheral. He isn't an add-on. He isn't something we can tack onto our lives, a component of our existence. No. He is the giver of all gifts, beyond our comprehension. All that is is from Him, through Him, and to Him.

We muddle around down here thinking that we're something, thinking that we're everything. We think it's all about us. It's not. And if we could get this right, if we could see that everything comes from Him, is sustained by Him, and is for Him, it would radically alter every corner of our existence. It must.

To Him be glory forever. Amen.