God’s Original Design For Us
God’s Original Design For Us: A Life of Beauty and Harmony
In the beginning, God created us with a purpose—a divine design that spoke of beauty, harmony, and an abundant life. This original design has been echoed through the ages, reminding us that our lives were meant to overflow with joy, peace, and fulfillment. As we journey through life, we often seek to reconnect with this original blueprint, and the key to understanding it is found in the teachings of Jesus. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus revealed the essence of God's plan for us, showing us how to live a life full of beauty and harmony. This article explores God's original design for us and how Jesus came to restore that design, helping us live life to the fullest.
The Verse that Speaks of God's Original Design
One of the most powerful verses that illustrates God’s original design for us is found in John 10:10. It reads:
“Thieves enter only to take away life, to steal what is not theirs, and to bring to ruin all they cannot have. I have come to give the good life, a life that overflows with beauty and harmony.” (John 10:10, First Nations Version)
This verse is a declaration of God’s intention for His creation—to live a life that is abundant, rich, and overflowing with beauty. The enemy comes to destroy, to steal joy and peace, but Jesus came to restore and give us a life of fullness. This life is not only about mere survival or existing but living in a way that is vibrant, meaningful, and harmonious with God’s plan. It is a life that flows freely, like a river, bringing peace and joy to all who partake in it.
A mother once placed this verse on her son's birth announcement because she understood its significance. She wanted her child to grow up knowing that God’s original design was for him to experience the good life—a life that overflows with beauty and harmony. In this simple act, she recognized the truth that we are all created to thrive, not just survive.
The Story of a Prayer Request
As I was traveling through the Navajo reservation in New Mexico, I had the opportunity to meet a young girl who was working at a gas station. As I approached her to compliment her on the beautiful jewelry she wore, we struck up a conversation. She shared with me that she was of Zuni and Navajo descent, and as we spoke, I felt a deep sense of connection.
Before I left, I asked her if she had any prayer requests, and to my surprise, a tear rolled down her cheek as she responded, “I just want to live a happy life.”
Her simple yet profound request echoed the desire that every human being has deep within—everyone wants to live a happy life. Whether we are aware of it or not, all of us are on a journey toward finding joy, peace, and fulfillment. For this young girl, as for many of us, the
search for happiness is real, and it is often through our connection with God that we can truly experience it.
The Adversary of Joy
Jesus also reminds us in John 10:10 that there is an adversary at work—a thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. This adversary seeks to rob us of the joy, peace, and beauty that God intends for us. We live in a world that often feels chaotic, broken, and filled with conflict, and the enemy uses these circumstances to steal the beauty that God originally designed for us.
But Jesus didn’t leave us defenseless. He came to destroy the works of the enemy and to provide a way for us to reconnect with God, the source of all life. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus offers us the opportunity to reclaim the beauty and harmony that God intended from the very beginning.
Jesus' Purpose: Restoring Connection and Victory Over the Enemy In 1 John 3:8, we are told that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.” (1 John 3:8)
Jesus’ mission was not just to teach us moral lessons but to restore us to the original design that God intended. By reconciling us with the Father and breaking the power of sin and death, Jesus provided a way for us to live in communion with God, experiencing the abundant life He offers. Through this connection, we are empowered to live out God’s original design for us—a life filled with beauty and harmony.
Jesus Teaches Us to Abide in Him
In John 15, Jesus explains the importance of remaining connected to Him, like branches to a vine. In the opening verses of this chapter, He says:
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that does not bear fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” (John 15:1-4)
The connection between the vine and the branches is vital to producing fruit. Without Jesus, we cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When we remain connected to Him, our lives become fruitful, just as a branch flourishes when it stays attached to the vine.
In verse 5, Jesus emphasizes the importance of abiding in Him:
“I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
This life of connection with Jesus is not just about surviving—it’s about thriving and flourishing. Jesus promises that when we remain in Him, we will bear much fruit. This is the abundant life that God designed us to live.
The Joy of Connection
Jesus also emphasizes that staying connected to Him will fill our hearts with joy—the same joy that He Himself experiences. He says in John 15:9-11:
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:9-11)
The joy that Jesus offers is not fleeting or superficial; it is deep, lasting, and full of meaning. It is a joy that comes from knowing we are loved by the Father, and that joy fills our hearts as we walk in His ways.
Jesus Calls Us Friends
In John 15:12-15, Jesus takes the relationship even further, calling us His friends. He says:
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:13-15)
Through His love, Jesus invites us into an intimate relationship with Him—one that is based on friendship, trust, and mutual love. We are no longer just His servants; we are His friends, and through that friendship, we gain access to the fullness of His joy, peace, and love.
The Beauty of Unity in Christ
In John 17, Jesus prays for the unity of all believers, that we may be one with Him as He is one with the Father. He prays:
“I pray that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21)
This unity is not just a theological concept—it is the basis for the life of beauty and harmony that God desires for us. As we are united with Christ and with one another, we reflect the beauty of
God’s love and bring glory to Him. Jesus desires for us to live in harmony with Him and with each other, creating a community that is marked by love, peace, and joy.
The Holy Spirit: Our Guide to a Life of Beauty and Harmony In John 14:16, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit to guide us into this abundant life:
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” (John 14:16)
The Holy Spirit empowers us to live out God’s design, helping us to bear fruit, walk in love, and experience the fullness of God’s joy. Through the Spirit, we are connected to Jesus and the Father, and we are empowered to live a life that overflows with beauty and harmony.
A Life That Overflows with Beauty and Harmony
In John 4:13-14, Jesus offers living water to those who thirst for a life of meaning and fulfillment:
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)
The life that Jesus offers is like a river that flows from within, quenching our deepest thirst and filling us with beauty, peace, and joy. It is a life that never fades, never runs dry, and always overflows.
Conclusion: Thriving in God's Design
God’s original design for us is a life full of beauty and harmony—one that is lived in connection with Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus came to destroy the works of the enemy and to restore our connection with the Father. Through the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to live the life that God intended for us—a life that is abundant, fruitful, and full of joy.
When we remain connected to Jesus, we will thrive. We will bear fruit, experience the joy of His love, and live in harmony with others. This is the life that God has always desired for us—a life that overflows with beauty and harmony.