Top Line for Bottom Line.

Last Thursday myself, Kent, and AC were at Ouachita University for Refuge. We went to do some recruiting for iGO, and AC was the speaker at this weekly bible study that they do. After Aaron spoke, we were singing in worship to the Lord, and the band started playing Crowder's newest most popular song, "How He Loves." (Originally written and recorded by John Mark McMillan, you should check his out, too) At some point during this song, this kind of realization hit me that I have never really thought about before. I am surely not the first person to think about this, it's probably actually kind of embarrassing that I've never realized this before.

Since my introduction to the world of iGO in the summer of 2005, our core value of "Bottom Line" has totally changed my perspective of God, the Word, my life and calling....everything. It has given me a new lens through which to see the world and my Father. Bottom Line is the Scriptural truth that although God is concerned about blessing and caring for His children, He is ultimately concerned about His glory- about his Name being declared to every people, tribe, and tongue.

For some reason while singing "How He Loves," I realized that even Top Line is Bottom Line.....that God loves us, provides for us, saves us, because He is concerned for His name and glory. His desire is for worshippers around the world to love and serve Him...to share His glory. He pursues and loves and blesses us and HIS name is glorified because of that- bringing more people into the Kingdom. In 1 Chronicles 16:35, Asaph and his brothers are singing and they say "Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise." We see this all throughout the Pentateuch as well, God has made up his mind that He will destroy the Israelites...that He will wipe them out and start over with Moses. So many times Moses basically tells God "Please don't do this, for your namesake save us, and other nations will glorify you because of this salvation." God saves us and loves us because His name receives glory because of it, and more people proclaim His name because of this grace and His good gifts.

This doesn't in anyway take away from the fact that He genuinely loves us, and wants to be in relationship with us. I can't wrap my brain around it, but somehow, I believe, God loves us and saves us for His glory alone, but that doesn't lessen the authenticity of His love for us. I guess I have always compartmentalized these two things- I thought that Top Line and Bottom Line were two separate things. It's so silly that I am just now thinking this way, but it's so clear. If God is really concerned about His glory, bottom line (which I believe He is), then it would just make sense that even the top line stuff (Him blessing us, pursuing us, saving us, bestowing His grace upon us) is about His glory and His name as well.

"Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name's sake!" Psalm 79:9