How I Started & My Purpose
How I Started:
I've been hunting and fishing as long as I can remember, and I've always been fascinated with nature. I rarely pass up an opportunity to spend some time outside enjoying God's creation. One of my favorite outdoor activities is searching beaches for interesting rocks and seaglass. The countless hours I've spent collecting has amounted to buckets of glass and stones. I've always enjoyed making things, and when I was introduced to power carving, it all sort of meshed together.
My Purpose:
The goal of my life, and the purpose of all of my work, is to glorify and honor God and to make known the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. The Bible is the word of God, and in it He has made known His plan for the salvation of sinful people by the sacrifice of His son on our behalf. Jesus took on Himself the punishment that we deserved, so that we might be reconciled to God.
Deuteronomy 32:4 says, "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he." God is perfect, and we are not. He is entirely faithful, just, and upright, and we are just the opposite. We lie, covet, and steal, and break all of the rest of God's perfect commandments.
Romans 3:22b-23 says, "For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." Because of our sin, there is a chasm between us and God that we cannot bridge. No matter what we try to do to build our way back to His glory, no matter how hard we strain, we will always fall short. On our own, we are without hope and condemned to face God's wrath for all of eternity. But God did not leave us alone and without hope.
Romans 5:8, "...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God sent Jesus - His Son, God in the flesh, fully God and fully man - to take on himself the sins of the world, and suffer the full wrath of God toward sin that we deserved.
Matthew 27:46, "...Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" Jesus was forsaken by His Father as He bore the punishment that we deserved for our sin. He died the death that we should've died. After His death, He was wrapped in burial cloths and laid in a tomb. But He did not stay buried. He did not stay dead. On the third day after He was buried, Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to His followers, having conquered sin and death.
2 Timothy 1:10 says, "...our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel..." Because Jesus conquered sin by taking the penalty for sin on himself through His death on the cross, and because He conquered death by rising from the dead on the third day, we can receive the free gift of freedom from sin and eternal life together with Him.
Matthew 28:18-20, "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'" Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death, and has been given authority over all of heaven and earth. He is Lord of all, and the only one who can save us from our sin.
Romans 10:9 says, "...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." If we truly believe that Jesus died and rose again, and proclaim His lordship and authority over all things, we can receive this gift of salvation. When we believe in Jesus, in His death, resurrection, and lordship over all things, we pass from eternal suffering and death to eternal joy and life, and we are made a new creation. We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with understanding of the things of God, and our sinful souls are made new.
2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." This salvation and new life in Christ is freely given to those who hear the good news of the gospel and believe it. It is my true desire, and the desire of all who have been brought into this new life in Christ, that all people would come to believe that Jesus is Lord and that He died and rose again, defeating sin and death.
If you have any questions or would like to talk about any of these things, please don't hesitate to contact me or reach out to a local church. My personal email is 22liamharlan [!at] gmail.com.
