Created for His Glory

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2 KJV

(Eph 1:12)

  © Del Leger 

Have you ever looked up at the sky on a warm summer night and been enthralled at the vast display of God’s wondrous creation?  A long time ago a young shepherd boy stared up at the sky and was so inspired that he penned these words.  “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handy work.” [1]  And again in another place,  “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him?” [2] 

Mysteries beyond explanation: 

Can’t you just see young David, perhaps lying on a grassy slope gazing up into a star filled night sky contemplating his God?  David, with his naked eye, could see about twenty-five hundred stars; today with just a pair of ordinary field glasses we can see about fifty thousand.  There is so much more knowledge at our fingertips today that if David was inspired, we should be absolutely speechless.  David had no way of knowing of the existence of things like quasars, supernovas, or black holes in outer space.  He couldn’t know that he was looking at as many as one hundred billion stars just in our galaxy alone.  Or that our own solar system, as vast as it is, pales into insignificance compared to the rest of our galaxy, let alone the universe. 

Our solar system:

To better comprehend the relationship of space contained in our solar system, if our sun was the size of the head of a pin, then our entire solar system with all its planets would fit comfortably into the average living room.  That would include Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and all the rest of those “Greek gods.” Consider too that the nearest star would be about thirty-five miles away.

Our galaxy:

The Milky Way, or galaxy, is of the type called a spiral galaxy.  That means it is a rather flat swirling disk, resembling a fried egg.  Just how vast is our galaxy?  Well it is estimated that it takes our sun two hundred million years to complete one orbit around our galaxy.  Wow! What a God we worship.  Ah, but there’s more, there’s a whole universe out there, and there is estimated to be ten billion galaxies just in the observable universe, some of which are many times larger than ours.  If that is what we know is out there, what do you suppose might be there that we don’t know?   

Ages past:

Yes, the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handy work.  Well, what about the firmament?  We now know of many great and strange creatures that occupied this earth in times past.  Creatures that David had no way of knowing anything about; like huge dinosaurs, great flying lizards, magnificent tropical forests, and many more incredible wonders that are common knowledge for us today.  But are the greatest of these wonders lost to us somewhere back in the annals of time?  Strange as it may seem, time has not forgotten them. 

Big things:

Did you know that the largest species of any thing that ever lived on this earth is still living today, and is a native of our own USA?  It weighs as much as one thousand tons, and can stand as high as three hundred and fifty feet. They have actually tunneled through one of them so that cars can drive through.  You’ve probably guessed it already.  It’s the giant redwood of California, the sequoia.  We know of nothing that ever lived that surpasses its height or weight. 

Now some of the dinosaurs were huge monstrous animals but they all died out many years ago, so certainly the largest animal that ever lived no longer treads this earth.  Right?  Were you aware that our Creator has preserved alive, to our everlasting wonder, the largest species of an animal that ever lived, larger even than dinosaurs?  These animals are so big an elephant could walk around in them with plenty of room to spare.  They can grow to a length of one hundred feet and can tip the scales at a hefty two hundred and seventy thousand pounds.  Yet, they feed on tiny shrimp like crustaceans barely two inches long.  You’re right; it’s the great blue whale, still the champion of the animal kingdom after all these years. 

Small things:

Well, we have touched on the vastness and mysteries of the universe, the marvels and wonders of the gigantic things on earth.  What about the smallest?  Would you believe that, not only is the largest life form that ever lived still here, but so is the smallest?  For instances, there are small, single-celled animals called protozoan that live as independent life forms.  One such animal is the amoeba, an amorphous blob of protoplasm that displays all the characteristics of animal life.

The amoeba is an independent, free life form that owes “nothing to nobody” and just goes around doing its own thing.  It can move about at the blinding speed of one-eighth inch in eight hours, satisfying its own selfish desires.  Woe to the luckless food object that finds itself in the path of the mighty amoeba.  It has been postulated that the original amoeba, the granddaddy of them all, might still be living today.  You see, the aging process seems to be an acquired attribute that came about when cells joined together creating a higher life form, an obvious trade off for the many benefits of a superior life style.

His greatest creation:

With such a vast assemblage of strange and wondrous things that God has created, is it any wonder that David asked, “What is man that Thou art mindful of him?”  So, what among all of these marvelous accomplishments would you suppose was His greatest creation, the epitome of His creative genius?  To some, this may be the most shocking revelation of all, but every morning when you look into your mirror you are looking upon God’s greatest creation; his crowning glory, made in his image, a little lower than the angels. The last thing He created in His creation week.

Yes, it can be quite shocking when you think about the depths of depravity to which mankind is capable of sinking.  But, what a phenomenal change takes place when the physical man connects with the spiritual God.  Perhaps, when you consider your own life and the many failures, fiascos, and wrongdoing in your past; you find it hard even to consider that you might be an example of your creator’s greatest accomplishment.  But, understand, God is not quite finished with you yet.

The Bible uses the analogy of a piece of clay in the hands of a potter who is creating his masterpiece, putting some finishing touches on it before placing it in the kiln.  As long as you remain pliable, yielding to His touch, and have not hardened your heart, the master potter can reform you as He pleases. [3]  We are told, sadly, that some won’t make it; their attitudes have become so hardened that they no longer see a need, nor have a desire to change.  But it will be their choice, and only their choice.  For God stands ready to give anyone all the help they need to give them a victorious life, but not without their permission.

Our marvelous cells:

If this physical body is so great an achievement maybe we should take a closer look at it, realizing, of course, that it’s the spiritual capacity that is the real wonder; but more on that later.  This body of ours is made up of about a billion tiny cells, very much like that one celled amoeba already mentioned.  But, right away you can see that one of the differences between the cells of our body and the amoeba is that our cells have united to a common cause, dedicated and loyal to a higher calling.  Each one has become specialized in order to perform a predetermined function. 

Our cells have given up their independence.  They can’t live separately like the amoeba. But then the amoeba can’t enjoy the radiant beauty of a Colorado sunset, or watch the early morning mist rising off Island Lake on Grand Mesa while listening to the bugling of a bull elk, or listening to the enchanting, inspiring melody of Rhapsody in Blue, as played by the Boston Pops Orchestra.  Of course I could go on naming the many thousands of advantages we have over the amoeba, but there is one that far outweighs all the others.  Can any of God’s other creations experience, or by any means comprehend, the love of a wonderful God who is so willing and eager to share all the wonders of his creation with us?  Or, can any of God’s other creations express or return that love in the way that we can?

The cells of our bodies have become very specialized. What a vast variety of strange personalities they have.  Consider the red blood cells, which look, for all-the world, like cherry flavored lifesavers.  They are part of a vast, highly efficient nutrition and elimination distribution system; both feeding and removing waste throughout our bodies. Their cousins, the white blood cells, who can assume most any shape, are the police force, a protecting army, often sacrificing their life for the good of the body.  There are cells of sight that allow us to see the beauty of God’s creation.  There are cells that enable us to distinguish the manifold vibrations that we translate into beautiful music.

 How about those tiny little nerve cells that, depending on their function, can stretch over a yard in length; and the brain cells, that amazing computer system that    enables us to think, to analyze, contemplate and remember.  Did you know that your cells are constantly replacing themselves and virtually every cell in your body is replaced with a brand new one within one year, virtually recreating your body every year?

Have you ever wondered how it was that God chose you as one worthy to receive the gift of life?  I remind myself periodically to thank God for granting me life.  What a glorious opportunity he has given me.

An amazing similarity:

Our bodies, how like the body of Christ they are!  Just as every cell in your body was created with a specific purpose in mind, so was each one of us for the body of Christ.  When all cells are working in unison, the body is in perfect health and can perform great feats.  Likewise, when all God’s children are exercising their God given talents, the body of Christ, God’s church, will perform great miracles. 

Every cell in your body has a direct link to your brain.  Every Christian in the body of Christ has a direct link to God through Christ.  There is no chain of command.  No other name, no other mediator, entity, power or person stands between you and God.  No preacher, no priest, the Pope, nor even the Virgin Mary.  Hebrews, 4:14-16 invites us to go directly to the Throne of Grace.

The uniqueness of you:

Even though the cellular structure of all life forms is similar, the integral difference is so great that the cells in my body would instantly recognize as an intruder, the cells of your body.  That’s why skin grafts from one part of your body to another can be done but organ transplants are so difficult.  Your body recognizes every cell you have as one of its own.  It is nourished, protected and accepted as one of the family.  A mysterious substance we know as DNA is thought to be responsible for this action. [4]  Just as DNA recognizes its own, so does Christ recognize his own.

            We are told that every cell possesses a genetic code so complete that the entire body could be reassembled from information obtained from any one of the body’s cells, yet that DNA is so compact that all the genes in my body would fit in a container the size of an ice cube.  If all of the DNA in my body were unwound and placed end to end, how far do you think it would reach, a mile, a hundred miles?  You’re thinking too small.  Think big!  Remember we are worshiping an awesome God.  Let’s stretch out our DNA to the sun, that’s ninety-four billion miles.  But even that is not enough, so let’s come back again, then repeat the trip not once, but four hundred times. [5]  Unbelievable?  Is anything too hard for our Creator?  Yet some would tell us that even God could not create this earth in six days.

What’s it all about?

Why have I led you through such a winding trail of the wonders of God’s creation?  The amoeba, the great blue whale, the spiral galaxy from tiny insignificant organisms to the greatest of all, mankind.  You see, I needed to stretch your mind; you must think outside the box of your five senses in order to grasp the magnitude of what I’m going to tell you next.  Something the world cannot understand, and even the angels desired to know.

You know that when the sperm of the father unites with the egg of the mother, the offspring shares the characteristics of both. The child takes on the DNA of both parents.  The child is both mother and father in essence.  Likewise, when the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and she conceived, her child, Jesus, took on the characteristics of both parents. One was God.  One was human.  One was Spirit.  One was flesh. Therefore, Jesus was both God and man.

This God-man, Jesus, made a request of his Father on our behalf.  He prayed that just as the Father was in Him and He in the Father, that you and I would be in them and they in us.  Read it for yourself in John 17:20-21.  Jesus’ prayer was answered, and that great mystery that has been kept hidden from the ancients is now made manifest, even that which the angels longed to know, (1 Pet. 1:12). 

Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you?  Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me,” (Gal 2:20).  The actual substance of God is within you, not just the concept or philosophy of God, but the Father Himself.  Begotten anew, with His spiritual DNA.

Can you comprehend this?  Think on this.  The God that made all the wonders of creation is now in you. We are one with God.  We have to expand our mind in order to fully understand the miracle that has taken place within us.  This is the mystery of the gospel spoken of in Ephesians 6:19, and further explained in Colossians 1:25-27, where Paul states, “I have become its, (the church’s), servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness; the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.  To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” 

Of all the awesome wonders that our God has created, the most amazing wonder of all is the unfathomable truth that WE can be one with God.  I too, as David did so long ago, ask,  “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him?” 

And then we read, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:(John 1:12).  Also in 1 John 3:2, “ Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Finally we must ask, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:” (1 John 3:1).

And the answer is -

So, the answer to David’s question, “what is man that God is mindful of him?”  He is in the process of bringing many sons to glory (Heb 2:10) &


Del Leger, Pastor, Christian Church of God, Grand Junction, Co. (970) 249-6857, dlleger@montrose.net

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

1 Cor 2:9-10

 


Article Footnotes:




[1] Psalms 19:1

[2] Psalms 8:3-4

[3] Jer. 18:3-6>

[4] Fearfully & Wonderfully Made, Dr. Paul Brand & Phillip Yancey, P.45

[5] Ibid p.46