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Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Genesis 1:26 (NIV)
You weren’t an afterthought. When the Creator God formed the universe, hung the sun in place and separated the water from the land, you were on his mind. When he spoke the word and thousands of plants and animals came into existence, he knew he wasn’t done. With a word, the Father spoke all this into existence. But when he made man, he stopped and thought about it.
Why? Was it because God was confused as to how to make man? Were we too large a task for him to handle? Of course not, God paused after making the other animals because this was something special. This ‘man’, these humans as we call them, were going to be set apart from everything else in creation.
These beings were going to be made in his image. That means that unlike other animals, human kind would have the ability to reason, speak choose. He would give them the power within themselves to do great and mighty things.
God made the world (the plants, the universe, and the animals) for mankind to tend to. He made mankind for his own personal relationship. Did the world need man to be complete? Probably not. The angels could have tended to the tasks at hand. Without man, God wouldn’t have been complete. He needed man to be his special object of love. He desired to create for himself one being that would be the most like him.
It’s no wonder then that when we shun God there is a part of us missing. We were created to fellowship with him and the absence of that fellowship causes and emptiness.
Oh, we can try to fill it with religion or spirituality. We can try to dull the pain with human relationships and materialistic endeavors. But nothing will fill that God-shaped hole in our hearts except for God himself.
God, the creator of the universe, the one that controls everything you see created you because he desired to have a passionate love relationship with you. Nothing you can do will make him change his mind about you. Nothing you can do will allow that love relationship to happen. There’s only one thing to fill the void and that’s Jesus Christ.
The forgiveness Jesus offers you through the cross allows you to a restored relationship with your creator.
PRAYER: God, I’ve been taught that you aren’t real. I’ve heard that all I see around me happened by chance. I thank you that I didn’t happen by chance. I thank you that I was intentionally made so I could love you. I’m tired of trying to fill this void in my life. Help me to find the peace only Jesus can give. Amen.
In the same way you younger people must submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you must put on the apron of humility, to serve one another; for the scripture says, God resists the proud, but shows favor to the humble. 1 Peter 5:5 (GNT)
The story went largely unnoticed. A little boy disappears and for two years no one seemed to notice he was gone. No school inquiries. No social service visits. No neighbors or friends wondering aloud what happened to ‘Johnny’. Not even a mention from the sister. Johnny’s body was discovered two years later.
Horrendous! Unthinkable! To be sure. But, although this is an extreme case, similar things happen all the time. They don’t find these bodies though because they are still up and walking around. They don’t see the wounds because skin still covers them.
‘They’ are the single girl that’s the topic of discussion at the office water cooler. You know the one. She’s the one who’s pregnant…again. No one knows who the father is to this child. Although she is friendly and polite, she hears the whispers. She feels the glares. Wounded and bleeding on the inside, she goes about her tasks, seemingly oblivious to the pain.
‘They’ are the kids on the street corner. You know the ones. Skateboards in hand and jeans at their ankles, they seem unaffected by your stares and unresponsive to your opinion of their dress and their leisure activities.
‘They’ turn up everywhere. They are in every crowd, yet all alone. They are looking for something to hold onto. Something within themselves that tells them they are okay, that reminds them they are worth being loved. They’ve shunned the religious rules and regulations. They’ve found no peace there, no acceptance, no understanding.
For many, too many, they never find it. Never find that someone who assures them that in spite of the baggage they are okay; that regardless of the poor choices they make there is someone who loves them enough to die for them. No judgment. No pre-requisites. No expiration date.
The Apostle Peter remembers the day he felt like that. The day he’d failed miserably and left his best friend alone to die. He remembers, just hours before Jesus’ death the apron he wore to wash Peter’s feet.
Now, he asks us. Will you wear the apron? Will you show others the great love Jesus’ has for you by wearing the apron to serve, accept and love those who others see right through? They are alone and unnoticed; wounded and afraid; ashamed and embarrassed. They are the ones Jesus sent us to find.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, you sought me out when I was unlovely. You accepted me when I rejected you. You forgave me when I willfully rebelled against you. Empower me with your Spirit to show others the same humble spirit you showed to me. Help me to wear the apron of humility around those who, while in the crowd, feel completely alone. Amen.
The Lord corrects the people he loves and disciplines those he calls his own.” Hebrews 12:6 (CEV)
Say the word ‘discipline’ and the picture most of us have conjured up in our minds is a child sitting in the corner or being spanked or some other painful situation. ‘Discipline’ and ‘punishment’ are often considered to be the same thing even though they are really quite different.
Punishment is backward looking. If I get a speeding ticket, it’s not offered to me because I may speed tomorrow, it’s given to me because I wasn’t paying close enough attention to my speed in the past several miles. Punishment is intended to cause pain either physically, financially or emotionally.
Discipline, on the other hand, is forward looking. A championship runner is considered disciplined because he/she forces themselves to run every day and push themselves to better themselves every time they step out of the house.
Discipline and punishment have on thing in common. Both are painful. Both are intended to make you ‘better’ but the attitude behind each is tremendously different. Punishment comes without relationship. Discipline almost always comes as a result of relationship. I discipline my children by teaching them standards, principles and skills that will prepare them for life in the future. Why? Because I love them and I want more than anything for them to succeed.
Will the discipline be hard? Sometimes. Will there be pain? Yes, especially if they make choices that are contrary to the principles we’ve established. But that pain will come as a result of the consequences of their behavior, not as a result of my anger.
Discipline, while painful, is necessary if we are going to succeed on the path our journey takes us on. Frank A. Clark states, “If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.”
God, as our loving Heavenly Father, wants nothing more than for us to feel fulfilled in life. Many people see his rules as restrictive, out of touch or even painful. Some focus on the ‘punishment of God’ and refer to it as God’s punishment when, in reality it’s simply the consequences of behavior God warns us against.
If you passionately love someone you will do everything in your power to prepare them for life ahead. You’ll tell them the things to avoid. You’ll warn them of the consequences of certain behaviors. You’ll tell them of the dangers associated with certain places. Why? Because you love them. As one writer states, “discipline is administered by a loving forward looking parent with an eye on helping the child become all that they can become.” Your Heavenly Father feels this way about you.
Don’t mistake the consequences of your choices as God’s punishment. Listen to his direction and realize they are only for your good. Remember that even while enduring the consequences he offers hope, forgiveness and strength to carry on.
PRAYER: Father, thank you for loving me enough to discipline me even though at times it’s painful. Give me wisdom and courage to follow your way. Amen
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)
“Blood is thicker than water.”
That statement is often used to describe the bond of family. Brothers and sisters may fight and bicker among themselves, but be wary of stepping between them or attacking one of them because you may find a united front against a common enemy…and that enemy will be you!
My father was the second oldest of three children. He was a rather small man, especially compared to his taller, older brother. Their personalities were as distant as their stature. My uncle was tall, athletic and quiet. As a result he’d often be picked on by other kids. He would never fight back though, never stand-up for himself.
Dad, on the other hand, was a bit of a firecracker and apparently felt is was his duty to be ‘uncles’ body guard. On more than one occasion he got in trouble for fighting. His fighting was most often a result of his decision to protect his brother!
The bond of ‘family’ is taking on a different face today as more than ½ of our children are living in families in which the parental bond is divided between mothers, fathers, stepparents and other caregivers who for whatever the reason have taken on the parental role. As a result, the concept of being adopted as children into God’s family may lose some of its impact.
God’s family isn’t like our earthly family. In God’s family we are chosen by him to be his children because he desires to be our Father. There is nothing we did or can do to change his love for us. There will be no time in the future when he tells us he won’t be our father anymore. He will never take advantage of his strength and position to make us do things we don’t want to do. He will never, ever abuse us or punish us in anger.
Sometimes we confuse God’s discipline for punishment when, in reality we are suffering natural consequences of our actions. That doesn’t mean God’s love for us is any less. His decision to love you as his own child came long before you were even born. His desire for you to be his child began at creation as he looked into the future and saw what this new world he’d created would become.
It’s a sad fact that the earthly, human form of family is in disarray and under attack by those who seek to destroy it. But God’s family is secure. You will always be his child. With that promise comes a challenge for us to live as brothers and sisters. An admonition to live in unity under the father and not based on religious tradition or dogma. You can’t change your physical DNA. Nothing you can do will change your spiritual DNA as well. You are and always will be a child of God because of his great love for you.
PRAYER: Father, there are so many voices here on earth defaming the concept of father and family. It’s hard sometimes to see you as father and to grasp the concept of family as you ordained it. I thank you that your family is permanent, healthy and alive. I praise you for choosing me to be a part of it. Help us, as your family, to live in the love and unity you planned for us. Amen.
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel. 2 Timothy 2:8 (NIV)
Just two little words but they mean all the difference in the world. Two little words that can change how we push forward during those times of grief when a dearly loved person dies and leaves us with a huge hole in our lives, a hole that will never be completely filled.
Two little words that give us strength to endure a relationship that is far from fulfilling; that shatters our dreams; that saps our lives of the energy we need to use our gifts to reach the potential long buried under the sands of time.
Two little words that offer hope as we kneel by the bed of a sick child, or read a letter from a distant son or daughter. Two little words that help us see new light in the midst of old struggle.
Remember Jesus.
Remember the one who promised he would never ever leave you or forsake you. Remember the one who lifts you up, looks you in the eye and says gently, “Then neither do I condemn thee.” Remember the one who stops from his busy schedule to touch you so that you can see. Remember the one who cries with you, rejoices with you and encourages you on the way.
Sitting on the mantle in front of me as I write this is a US Flag folded into a triangle. It’s a special flag given to the families of veterans when they die. The flag is special. Not because of the nation it stands for, or the freedom that flag represents. It’s special because that flag was given when my dad died. Sitting beside that flag is a picture of dad. When I look at those two items there is almost always a memory of all he meant to me, and a reminder that someday we’ll be united again in glory.
Paul, in perhaps his final hours tells his young pastor friend to always remember Jesus. Always take him with you, remember that he is the basis for all we do. He is the motivation for our existence, indeed he is the very reason for our existence.
Take the banner of heaven with you today. Have a picture of Jesus placed firmly in your mind. Regardless of the hurdles you encounter on the journey, he will always be there with you. He’s the shoulder you can cry on; the friend you can vent to; the partner you can celebrate with. He loves you. Never ever forget that, and because of his great love for you, you are always on his mind.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I have many challenges ahead of me today. Thank you for the promises you have given me of your constant companionship and unending love. Fill me with your Spirit and empower me to see your way on the journey. Help me remember you. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 