Created By God

Created by God  ||  Psalm 119:73  ||  Deacon George Miller

As I began to think about the subject of this devotional and the theme for the week, I reflected on Genesis 1 and when God began to create what we now refer to as the world. If you haven’t already done so, I invite you to note how, in the first 27 verses of God’s masterpiece in Genesis 1, God simply spoke (“and God said…”) the word and things were created.

However, in Genesis 2:7, something very special happens, God’s touch is involved, (“Then the LORD God formed/created a man[a] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being”) ... at birth, we are created to be who God intended us to be but along the way, we choose to be someone other than God intended, and we stray away.

Although we are born (created) from a sinful act, just remember that “nothing happens” unless God allows it to happen and in doing so, he has a reason that we often don’t understand until later in life. God has a plan and/or purpose for everything that we are involved in. Even the painful events of our lives when we are tempted to question God on why circumstances in our lives exist. When I find myself guilty of this very thought, I’m immediately reminded of Hebrews 12:6, “Whom the Lord loves, he will chasten”.

When we are created in God’s image, he makes available to us (through the Holy Spirit) his qualities: humbleness, humility, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If we want these attributes to grow in us, we must join our lives to his. John 15:4-5: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me”. 5 “I am the vine; 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.

When we do a self-examination of who we are, too often the result is; I’m too this or I’m too that, or I should have been this or I should have had that or why wasn’t I born with this or that? Well, here’s the deal, “We are who God intended us to be, Male or female”. In Jeremiah 1:5, God tells Jeremiah that he already knew him before he was formed (created) in the womb. Like Jeremiah, we look for excuses to avoid what God tells us to do, (Jeremiah 1:6).

In Exodus 4:10-11 = Moses offers an excuse that he doesn’t speak and is not eloquent enough, and God responds in verses 11-15. Both attempted to avoid who God intended them to be, but we know how each turned out. When Jeremiah was chosen by God to be his messenger, in Jeremiah 1:9 = Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. When Moses died, God declared in Deuteronomy 34:10 = no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.

The character traits of Humbleness and Humility exhibited by Jesus, admittedly are not easy to follow, but as Christians we are obligated to do so. As we celebrate this Lenten season and reflect on the humbleness and humility that Jesus displayed, leading up to his crucifixion, being a follower of Christ and sharing the gospel with the lost sheep, we will endure verbal crucifixion.

As we continue our journey, remember this: “Some people will not hear you regardless of how much, how loud, how truthful, how loving or how profound you speak. Wish them well and let them go, (Shake the dust off your feet and move on but DO NOT stop sharing the gospel). See Matthew 5:11-12 for our reward for obedience.

Prayer:
Father, thank you for giving us your grace, your mercy and for shaping and molding us into the individuals you would have us to be. Thank you for the precious gift of your spirit enabling us to exhibit the attributes of you through the lives we live and the way we treat our neighbors. Continue to infuse us with humbleness and humility. Thank you for never giving up on us when we fall short of your desires for us, in Jesus’ name.  Amen!