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Text: Genesis 1:26
"Then God said, "Let Us
make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and
over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing
that creeps on the earth."
Text: Psalm 139:14-16
14 "I will praise You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well. 15 "My frame was not hidden from
You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest
parts of the earth. 16 "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them,"
FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY
MADE
David says that he is fearfully and wonderfully made. Elsewhere
in the Scriptures, we are told that man was created in the "image
and Likeness" of God.
Of more intricate design than any human invention, God has made
us to function in a certain way.
MADE IN GOD'S LIKENESS AND IMAGE
A BODY - Adam was given a manifested form, i.e., he was made
of a material which had substance...which was formed from the dust
[elements] of the earth. And although God is spirit, he too has
form or substance. Jesus (before His incarnation) was in the form
of God (Philippians 2:6). In fact, the Scriptures teach us that
Jesus was the "expressed [pressed out] image of God's person [character]
(Hebrews 1:3). Having His own particular form, then, God likewise
created His man-creature with a manifested form - a physical body.
A MIND - And secondly, not only did God make man of a physical
substance, He also gave him intelligence, or what is referred to
as a mind. With a mind, then, man could exercise special free-will
qualities of reasoning, choosing, and acting with regard to God's
commands. We are told that God brought the animals to Adam so that
he could name them. Such would call for intelligence on Adam's part
over and above that of the animals.
In addition to this, we see God's intention for Adam being to have
dominion over the animals. Thus, we see that God clearly separated
man from all other creatures which He had made, and set Adam up
above them. Why? Because as we shall see, God had special plans
for mankind.
A SPIRIT - And finally, in our attempt to understand how
man is made in God's image, we come to that part of man which is
able to communicate with God on an invisible, spiritual level -
the spirit of man.
"The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD,
searching all the inward parts of the belly." Proverbs 20:27
Remember when God first created Adam and formed his body from the dust of the ground? Remember God then afterward breathed into Adam's nostrils, and Adam thereafter became a LIVING soul?
From this we clearly realize that man is only an empty shell (body) without his spirit (life force) within him. God is also spirit, and so likewise gave man a spirit by which to communicate with him the things that God wanted him to know and to appreciate concerning his Creator.
LEARNING TO YIELD
- And until we learn to yield ourselves to that perfect order there will be increased friction, fret, trouble and failure in our lives.
Specific instructions have been given for the proper functioning of our lives; it is always wise to read the instruction manual before attempting the operation of any machine or device.
JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL
Our lives will run properly ONLY as we consciously keep God at the control center. We are His workmanship, and He alone is able to get the best out of His creation.
PRIDE IS THE ENEMY
Pride is corrosive to our faith. There's only room at the top for one - and that One is
God.
How often are defective lives worsened by human pride! We feverishly strive to effect in our own character those changes that will make us "Christ-like." Yet, such struggling ends in failure.
LET GOD FIX IT
The Bible instructs us to let God fix it. After all, we would be sensible enough to return a defective watch to the retailer or manufacturer rather than attempting to fix it ourselves.
God alone is able to take our crooked lives and make them into instruments of beauty and blessing.
PUZZLED BY THE PROCESS
We may not understand the process by which He effects such a transformation, but we may safely trust Him to do it.
Mysterious or painful as His process may be, it is the only way for us to reach the glorious end for which we were made.
If the glory is to point to God, then God must be allowed to do the work in us.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not of works, lest anyone should boast. (10) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10
IS GOD GETTING THE MAN HE MADE?
We were made "in the likeness and image" of God. The very seed of God's character has been implanted into our DNA. Now, all God wants is for us to cultivate and water that divine image within us in order to allow His "likeness" to manifest itself.
God definitely has a plan for us, but are we allowing Him to achieve thru us what He intended? Is God getting the man He made?
We need to also recognize our 'mission' in this life and say with Paul that it is no longer we who live, but Christ Who lives in us
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
IF IT DOESN'T WORK, TAKE IT BACK!
The people of Noah's generation got caught up in the things of this life; they failed to grow the seed of God's image within themselves - thus never did become the men that God expected (Genesis 6:5-8). As a result, God took back the lives He had given them to honor Him.
"Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. (7) So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." (8) But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD."
And look where that got them. Do you think we are any different? Look at our own generation and the foolishness they exhibit.
GETTING WHAT WE PAID FOR
If we purchase an item and it doesn't perform the way we expected it to, we usually return it. Why? Because we are not satisfied with it. We want what we paid for.
God is no different; we are bought with a price too! Is He getting what He paid for?
"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (20) For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."
JESUS CURSED THE FIG TREE
I keep thinking of the fig tree that Jesus cursed. One might say that it wasn't being the tree that God had intended it to be.
"Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there. (18) Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. (19) And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away. (20) And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"
Then there was the parable of the fig tree. The tree was cut down because it was taking up good ground and not producing any fruit (Luke 13:6-10).
We are chosen instruments of God to go forth and to bear fruit. We need to be the man that God intended for us to be. It is our duty to be the man that God made.
Conclusion:
Yes, it's true; God's hands have indeed made and fashioned us. Let us then become all that God has intended for us to be - for His honor and glory!
The worst thing that God could say of you or of me is that He was sorry that He even made us!
Let us, therefore, commit ourselves unto Him as unto a faithful Creator.
"Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator." 1 Peter 4:19
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