The first time I heard Josh Baldwin’s “Made for More” during worship at The Church of Eleven22 in Jacksonville, Florida, I welled up with emotion. The song put into words something I had experienced but struggled to explain: how profoundly God had changed my life.

The Bible describes this new life as being “born again.” I often describe my experience as a spiritual awakening because that is what it felt like. God opened my heart, and with it, my eyes and ears to His presence. The Father drew me to His Son, and the Holy Spirit began helping me understand truths I had previously overlooked.

After that service, I searched for the song so I could listen again. I encourage you to listen, too. Perhaps you will recognize part of your own story in it.

Our testimonies differ, but believers share a common foundation: through Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, made new, and given a hope that reaches beyond the grave. We come to know we are made for more!

Knowing Who I Am Because I Know Him

Here is how Josh Baldwin’s lyrics spoke to me:

I know who I am ’cause I know who You are

It is different for true believers because once we are turned towards God, we are filled with His light. And with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are given eyes to see and ears to hear. We come to appreciate and receive Jesus’ work on the cross, we understand why it happened and all that it entails.

Coming to know God changed how I understood those questions. My identity no longer rested entirely on what I had accomplished or what others thought of me. I belonged to Him.

The cross of salvation was only the start
Now I am chosen, free and forgiven
I have a future and it’s worth the living

Through Scripture, I began to understand why Jesus went to the cross and what His resurrection means for those who trust Him. His sacrifice secured the forgiveness I could never earn. His victory over death gave me a future I could never provide for myself. As the lyrics of this song so eloquently state, we are chosen by Him, free from the darkness of this world and our sins forgiven. We are no longer sentenced to the death this world has to offer, but we have a future, an eternal future with God, certainly worth the living.

A Future Beyond the Grave

Cause I wasn’t made to be tending a grave
I was called by name
Born and raised back to life again
I was made for more

“Tending” is defined in Merriam Webster’s Dictionary as
“to move, direct, or develop one’s course in a particular direction”. 

Every gravestone reminds us that our time here is limited.

Paraphrasing John Hart…
“this world is the closest to heaven non-believers will ever get;
and the closest to hell believers will ever get”

But for those who belong to Christ, a cemetery also points beyond itself.

Although all of mankind is headed for a physical death, those of us who are believers are looking forward to our eternal spiritual life in heaven.

We are “called by name born and raised back to (an eternal) life again”. “I was made for more”; we were made for so much more than to live and die in the darkness of this world.

Jesus’ resurrection means that death will not have the final word. Our hope includes eternal life with Him and the future resurrection of our bodies. The grave is real, but it cannot cancel His promises.

That changes how we live today.

We were created for more than accumulating possessions, passing the years, and leaving everything behind. We were made to know God, glorify Him, love others, and enjoy His presence forever.

Because of Christ, we can face the end of this life with hope.

We Do Not Have to Live in Shame

So why would I make a bed in my shame

One of the song’s most powerful images is the idea of settling down in our shame—as though our past defines the place we must continue to live.

I understand why people do that. Regret can be persistent. We remember what we said, what we did, whom we hurt, and what we wish we could undo.

But Scripture gives those who trust Christ a promise:

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”—Romans 8:1, ESV

That does not mean our sins were insignificant. They were serious enough that Jesus died for them. Nor does forgiveness eliminate every earthly consequence or remove our responsibility to seek reconciliation where possible.

It means that Christ has dealt with our guilt before God.

Believers may still struggle with shame. That struggle does not make their faith unreal. But when shame returns, we must remind ourselves that it is the from the prince of this world trying to pull us down. So we send him packing buy bringing it to God and remember what He has promised.

Psalm 103:12 reminds us God not only forgives us our sins but He has also forgotten them. Mature believers do not continue to beat themselves up for past sins because we know we are forgiven. We do not live our lives with our heads down in shame. There is no looking back at our past or allowing the devil to remind us of our shortcomings; because Romans 8:1 reminds us there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Grace for the Life We Are Living Now

When a fountain of grace is running my way

God’s grace does more than meet us at the beginning of our Christian lives. We depend on it every day.

That does not guarantee an easy life. Christians still experience illness, disappointment, grief, and uncertainty. Yet we face those things with the assurance that God has not abandoned us.

As I have grown in faith, I have become more aware of how much I depend on Him. The peace I experience comes from knowing that, whatever happens, I belong to the One who holds my future.

I Know Whose I Am

I know I am Yours

Christians often ask one another about denominations.

I did an internet search asking how many Christian denominations there are in the world and the answer was more than 45,000. In my humble opinion, Jesus did not come here to start a religion. He came here to offer salvation through HIs work on the cross and His resurrection. In fact, the movement to follow Jesus was originally called “The Way”. Early Christians used that term to distinguish themselves from Judaism. How did we get from “The Way” to over 45,000 Christian denominations is beyond my comprehension.

A denominational label cannot, by itself, tell if someone knows the Lord.

When fellow Christians ask me what religion I follow, I simply respond “I am a man of God, I belong to Him and He is very fond of me.“

My younger sister, who is rather competitive, sometimes hears that as though I am suggesting He is more fond of me than He is of her.

That always makes me smile.

I am acknowledging His love for me. The wonderful thing is that His love does not require us to compete. I can rejoice in being loved by Him without diminishing His love for anyone else.

It gives me wonderful freedom and assurance to truthfully say, “I know whose I am.”

Hearing His Call Above the Noise

You called out my name

Unfortunately, not everyone hears God’s call. I want to believe God truly calls all of his children but too many have succumbed to the pull of this world. If you are turned towards this world, you can’t be turned towards God.

Many things compete for our attention: money, success, entertainment, recognition, and the approval of others.

Some of those things have a proper place in our lives. The danger comes when they claim the devotion that belongs to God.

Money is a good example. First Timothy 6:10 identifies the love of money as a root of all kinds of evil. Money itself is a tool. It can provide for our families, help our neighbors, and support the work of the church.

But when we begin trusting it for our security or pursuing it above everything else, that tool becomes a master.

Jesus warned that we cannot serve both God and money.

Following Him requires us to examine our hearts. What commands our loyalty? What are we unwilling to surrender? Whose voice carries the most weight in our decisions?

I am thankful that God opened my heart to His call. I still need His help to recognize the distractions and keep my attention on Him.

Praise That Grows from Gratitude

So I’ll sing out Your praise

Praising God is just another way to thank Him. One thing that differentiates mature believers from so-so believers is how they pray. Mature believers are always thankful and they start their prayers with thankfulness for God’s graces and blessings.

When I consider what God has done for me, gratitude follows.

That is reason enough to praise Him.

He has forgiven sins I could never erase, given me hope beyond this life, and remained faithful through circumstances I did not understand.

Thankfulness is not a technique for obtaining more blessings. We do not praise God to put Him in our debt. We thank Him because He is worthy and because we are learning to recognize His goodness.

There is a saying I appreciate:
Enjoy His presence before asking for His presents.

Think about it, if you were a parent of two children and your gifts to them were met with thankfulness from one and complaints from the other; which one would you be more likely to give more gifts to?

There is nothing wrong with bringing our needs to God. He invites us to do so. But prayer also gives us the opportunity to remember His faithfulness, acknowledge His mercy, and simply enjoy being with Him.

Even in sorrow, gratitude can find a voice. Sometimes that voice is confident. Sometimes it comes through tears.

There are moments these lyrics express what my heart cannot fully explain.

Moving Forward in His Forgiveness

Hallelujah
You buried my past
And I’m not going back

Why is it so hard for Christians to believe that their sins are forgiven and forgotten? Are our sins bigger than God? The creator of the Universe tells us throughout scripture that our sins are “buried in the past”. Here are a couple of reminders:

• Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
• Hebrews 10:17 “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”

The foundation of our forgiveness is Christ’s finished work, not our ability to stop feeling guilty.

On the cross, Jesus declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30). We do not add to His sacrifice by continuing to punish ourselves.

We confess our sins, turn from them, and trust His promise of forgiveness. Where we have caused harm, we seek to make things right as far as we can. Then we continue walking with Him.

The apostle Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:13 (NIV) about “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead”. In other words, don’t let the wounds of your past prevent you from reaching the prize ahead of you. We can’t be facing forward to God’s light if we are looking back over our shoulder.

The same grace gives us reason to look forward and not backward.

“Made for More” moves me because it reminds me of that future—and of the Savior who made it possible.

We were made for so much more than to live and die in the darkness of this world.

My past does not have the final word. Neither does my shame. Neither does the grave.

Jesus does! And because I belong to Him, I was made for more.

Have you heard the song? I would love to hear what its message means to you.

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