Genesis 1:27 Authorized (King James) Version
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Psalm 139:14Authorized (King James) Version
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
marvellous are thy works;
and that my soul knoweth right well.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.
Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
The Infinite, Personal God
After God flung the galaxies into the vast universe; after He created the sun, earth, and moon, the sea, dry land, plants, and animals, God made humankind.
God made us like himself in many ways—in his image.
He gave us a soul/spirit and a physical body.
Each of us has a heart, a mind, a personality, and power to rule the earth and to make it fruitful and beautiful.
We each have inalienable dignity, something which cannot be taken from us, because we are made in the image of God – in His Image we are fearfully and most wonderfully made – and our hearts, souls ought to know this quite well.
God’s infinite, intimate and personal nature showed itself when the Creator nit just created us but He too, walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the garden.
It showed itself when God came to Abraham as a traveler, ate lunch with him.
God desires to be our friend because He is personal.
At the same time God is infinitely powerful, the Master of the universe who created it all by his word.
What an amazing God we serve!
So great, so mightily amazing—and yet He loves each one of us personally!
Wonderfully Made—and Remade
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. . . . Search me, God. . . See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. — Psalm 139:14, 23-24
These verses from Psalm 139 ought to remind each and every single one of us that while each one of us is a beautiful creation of the Lord, there are likewise offensive ways inside us that need to be dealt with.
After the fall into sin (Genesis 3), we human beings continue to live as precious works of the Creator while also needing to be redeemed from sin, brokenness.
So in his great and amazing love for us, God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the price for our sin and to give us new life forever with him.
And now the Spirit of God lives in us, guiding us to become like Jesus.
He leads us “in the way everlasting.”
The apostle Paul describes it this way: “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20), giving each and every single one of us, one of the very clearest statements in the Bible about dying to live.
The fact that we are fearfully and wonderfully made—and remade—leads us to some of the most glorious announcements in Scripture, like this one:
“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Question of the day: What Does it Mean to Be Fearfully and Wonderfully Made? Psalm 139:14
Psalm 139:14 says that God made all the delicate, inner parts of my body.
He knit me together within my mother’s womb.
I was made Infinitely, Intimately, Wonderfully complex.
God knew me as He was painstakingly designing me with much loving care.
I didn’t just evolve into what I am.
I was created and designed with a purpose.
And the blueprints of me are similar to other human beings but they’re not exactly the same.
I am unique—and so are you.
Our human body is a unique design of multiple systems that all work intricately together.
The cardiovascular system gives you the heart and lungs to pump our blood to carry oxygen through veins and arteries, throughout our whole body to move.
The muscular system gives you the ability to move, lift, and hold things.
The digestive system processes food into energy and discards waste.
The immune system keeps you healthy.
The DNA determines your gender.
The eyes cause you to see.
The nose lets you smell.
The tongue and mouth let you eat and taste.
The ears enable you to hear.
And your skin enables you to feel textures.
You have the ability to uniquely encounter an incredibly unique diverse world with an equally amazing diverse body!
Then you were also blessed with a brain so you can think, process, and create.
Isaac Asimov said the brain is “the most complex and orderly arrangement of matter in the universe.”
Your emotions help you to relate to other people and feel compassion.
All of these systems (plus many more) were uniquely designed to make you who you are.
God Created You and Me With Love On Purpose
You have the innate ability to discern right from wrong.
Although, that ability is hindered somewhat until we connect with your Creator.
He didn’t just design you to do your own thing.
He created you so you would desire an ongoing relationship with Him.
You were made with a hole in the center of your soul that only one thing fits.
Until you find that very specific something, you will never be fulfilled.
And that very specific something is God Himself.
You were designed with an intense need of your Creator, God.
Without a relationship with Him, you will always be searching for something to fill that void.
Drugs, alcohol, food, money, sex, material goods, occupations, hobbies, travel, success, fame—these are just some of the myriad of ways in which we try to fill that empty space inside.
But none of those things will ever, can ever fill it.
They are like round pegs in square holes.
The vacant areas at the edges will still leave you desiring more of something else.
Whatever we attempt to put in there will dissipate because it never completely fills the space.
Those things were never meant to fill the space; they never can.
Sadly, many continue to shove mismatched pegs into that hole.
A little of this, a little of that… hoping that one day they will feel complete.
They surmise that this thing over here didn’t work but maybe this other thing will do it.
They just have not found the one right thing yet but one day they hope they will.
One day…
- I’ll have enough money to feel safe and secure.
- I’ll find the perfect spouse that will complete me.
- I’ll get my dream sports car and life will be grand.
- I’ll be on television and people will know my name.
- I’ll be the best in my field and people will scout me out.
“One day” will never come.
If you’re not happy with who you are today, right here and right now, you’ll never be.
You’ll never be happy with who you are today unless you begin to praise God for creating us just as we are – male, female, both fearfully and wonderfully made. [Genesis 1:27]
Stop Looking at Everyone Else, Look Only Unto God
Isaiah 64:7-8Authorized (King James) Version
7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name,
that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee:
for thou hast hid thy face from us,
and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
8 But now, O Lord, thou art our father;
we are the clay, and thou our potter;
and we all are the work of thy hand.
When you do finally realize that without God you are unable to make the most of yourself, that’s when those things of old subtly, suddenly begin to change.
The clay cannot mold itself no matter how hard it tries.
However, God, the Potter, cannot only mold His clay but He also knows what His original design of you was.
He is both a Master Potter and a Master Architect with an Infinite Master Plan.
Sometimes in this fallen world, people are born with birth defects that disrupt one or more of the intricate systems of the body.
God foresaw even those defects and uses them for good when we look to Him.
Even our weaknesses are fearfully and wonderfully made. [2Corinthians 12:7-10]
A blind person can develop hearing beyond the normal capacity.
Conjoined twins can teach us about getting along with one another, for they have to do it 24/7.
Someone born without arms develops the ability to use their feet in wondrous ways.
Another born without legs develops the upper body strength to get around smoothly.
We all have weaknesses that sometimes make us feel like we are of no use.
But God’s grace is sufficient to cover our weaknesses.
More than that, God’s power is made perfect in our weaknesses.
Weaknesses keep me humble and leaning on God’s strength which is much more sufficient than my own.
One More Question for Today: Should I always feel like I am “Fearfully and Wonderfully” made?
No. Sin and pride always want to drag me back into my own way of thinking.
The same thinking that kept me reaching for those mismatched pegs.
Those thoughts tell me that I can do whatever I want, by myself, without God.
They lie and they don’t even make sense.
They say I can do anything but then turn around and also say that I’m not good enough to do what I want to do.
Feelings can’t be trusted unless they line up with the Word of God.
And the Word of God tells me that I’m fearfully and wonderfully made for a specific purpose.
Therefore, with God’s help, I will love walking in that purpose as often as I can.
Whether I always feel it or not, I can trust God and His plans for my very life.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10)
God doesn’t call us his children because we measure up to some standard of behavior.
God adopts us as his children because he has chosen us in love.
It’s that simple.
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”
In other words, God created us, fearfully, wonderfully, weaved us together.
God made us alive in Christ before there was any spiritual fruit in our lives!
We were as good as dead before God’s grace touched our lives, and dead trees certainly can’t bear any fruit.
Soil that has no nutrients isn’t any good for growing a crop.
It’s not the growth of fruit in our life that saves us; it’s simply the gracious favor of our Creator God shown to us in the life, resurrection of his Son, Jesus.
Our God is an Awesome God.
With Wisdom Power and Love,
He Reigns from Heaven Above,
With Wisdom, Power and Love,
Our God is an Awesome God.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Dear Lord, Thank You for fearfully and wonderfully creating each of us. Thank You for our uniqueness, thank You for giving us worth in Your eyes. Help us live as the one You uniquely intended us to be. Help us abide instead of strive, living peacefully, fully and joyfully as heirs to Your Kingdom and co-heirs with Christ. In Jesus’ Name.
Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.
Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 