7-11-2015

Good Morning All!!

            Psalm 139: 13; “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.”

     One of the more fascinating skills is for someone to build something from scratch into a working or functioning item.  It might be a guy who builds a race car from various parts or someone who builds a computerized display of lights.  There is something about this piece by piece construction which causes the person who made it to have this incredible in depth knowledge as to the operating of the machine.  They can often just hear it, or touch it, or see it and know what is out of sync or just “not quite right” about it.  He knows what size bolt is where.  He knows what the electrical capacity or usage should be.  He knows when it is off just a little and he knows what is probably going to be the part that will break first.  He knows his machine or his program or whatever he builds.

    The other thing that is fascinating is how hard it is to throw it away or replace it.  It is more valuable to them then to people who purchase or were given the item.  The person who constructed the item has put time, energy, sweat and desire into the construction.  He has a substantial investment in it and will do whatever he can to keep it operating.  It is special to him and it seems to him that it is always worth the extra time and effort it takes to keep it going.  In many ways this is how God looks at us.

    The thing that many seem to miss is that humans were planned; designed by God specifically for a purpose.  God spoke and the rest of creation appeared; but God planned man and then created.  God invested himself in our being.  He carefully crafted us.  He gently and loving connected the tissues and the muscles and designed the brain and the heart so that we would be his image bearers here on earth.  We are special to God.

     This is why he didn’t destroy man and start over when man sinned.  He loved man because he was invested in man.  He placed his energy into creating man with the love that only the Father can express.  So rather than destroy, he opted to save, at any cost, the man he created.  We are redeemed by God because he loves us and he cherishes us and even as he knows our weak points; he never abandons us.

     So we can take value in ourself.  We can lean on the fact that the God who loves us also places a great value on us.  God cherishes us and will never throw us away or discard us.  His love places a value on us far beyond what we can imagine.  So we can place our hope in the fact that we are not junk.  We are his children.  We are loved by a gracious and crafting God.  He has formed us, shaped us and molded us with loving care.  We are always secure in his arms and nothing can pull us from them.

Father, help me to love your craftsmanship.  Guide me to live as one worthy of your gifts.  Guide me to hold onto your promise and let nothing pull me down.  Calm my fears and worries and sooth my longings.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret