We exist for Him

 1 Corinthians 8:6 reads, ". . .yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; . . . " (NASB).  Today I am interested in the phrase "we exist for Him".  Interestingly, the word "exist" is not in the original text, it simply says, "and we for Him".  Later it adds, "and we through Him".  Apparently, in the middle of a discussion on knowledge and freedom (two concepts really popular in our culture today), Paul decides to remind us that we are really for God and through God.  I wonder though if this is a hard concept for us.  We are not really for anyone but ourselves.  We are for political parties.  We are for ideologies.  We are for particular teams and sports and topics and thoughts.  But when we think about belonging to someone or through someone, we fight these ideas in almost every sense.  And yet Paul reminds us that we are, at our fundamental identity, the property of God.  This is not a solo concept in this verse.  He reminded us in 1 Corinthians 3:23 that we belong to Christ.  He reminded us in the same book in chapter 6 and verse 20, "you have been bought with a price." after telling us that we are not our own.  This is not a unique concept even to the book of 1 Corinthians.  We do not belong to us. 

We talk of our time belonging to God, our possessions belong to God, our families belong to God, our work belongs to God.  All of the things that we would "own" clearly are owned by God first, but so often we forget to add ourselves to that list.  I belong to God.  I exist for God.  My life is to be lived in servitude to my glorious Master.