He has made us for himself...

Augustine said, "He has made us for him, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in him."
I was quoting this in a message last Sunday and it hit me as I said it - "He had made us for himself..." not for ourselves! He fashioned us by his hand, he breathed his life in us, he has ordered our days and our place and time in history... and through Christ he has redeemed us and brought us home... and yet - we still barely register this astounding fact - he has made us, and redeemed us, for himself!

This is why he goes to such extraordinary lengths to get us back - why he pays the ultimate price for the way to be made open. He made us for himself and HIS heart is restless until we find our rest in him!! We are so 'self' conscious when we say "how could he love me?" It is not about me - it is about him and his yearning heart. And we live with such a huge self-consciousness instead of a huge HIM-consciousness. Such is the deceptive nature of the fall, of sin, and the world it has created. The reality is that the more God-conscious we become - ie the more enamoured we are of our Abba, Daddy and our Lord and elder brother Jesus - the more we become our true selves, full of "righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit..." - and the more we are aligned with his heart.

"You made us for yourself..."
What would happen to our hearts, our minds, our focus and our fruitfulness if we soaked in this wonderful reality? I am expecting to find out soon - because I cannot get this phrase out of my head. As I turn it over in my mind, and on my lips may it descend to my heart and fill my soul, and open the floodgates of my spirit in praise and revelation.