created

He Humbles Himself 

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Psalm 113:6
“Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth?”

A few years ago my wife and I were window shopping at an outdoor mall in southern California when we stumbled onto a crowd of people huddled around a large telescope. We decided to stand in line and see what they were looking at. When our turn came to look through the view finder we were stunned. From the courtyard of the mall we were able to see the rings around Saturn. We took advantage of the moment and allowed the young man who owned the telescope to point out distant stars and even a distant galaxy. Technology has provided us with things that were unthinkable during most of human history, and there in the mall we were able to observe the heavens. I was struck both by the majesty of the heavens and by the advances of science that would allow the casual shopper a glimpse into the heavens. But I did realize that this was only possible because of the highest reaches of human development. Centuries of studying the stars had come together at that moment to provide a telescope that could view the heavens.

I often think of that when I read the Psalmists words;
“Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth?”

What takes the height of human development to glance at, God has to bow to look into. As majestic as creation may ever seem the creator is much more magnificent. His glory is above the heavens.

Jim

 

Likeness

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Genesis 5:1
“This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.”

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The Bible teaches that man was originally created in the image of God. Since God is eternal, man was created to live forever. Since God is triune: Father, Son and Spirit, man was also created as a triune being: spirit, soul and body. Since God is holy, man was originally created without sin, placed in a perfect environment,

and enjoyed sweet communion with God. Tragically, we read man’s condition did not last long. Within a few verses of the narrative, we find the first man and woman giving into the tempter and sin entering the world. The effects of this sin were both immediate and far reaching. Immediately they were changed, knew their sin, and were separated from God. The far reaching aspect of their sin is seen, here, in Chapter 5.

Genesis 5:3
“And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.”

Man, who was created in the image of God, begot children that were created in his fallen image. The story of the Bible is now the story of redemption. God will do whatever is necessary to restore fallen men to relationship with Himself. The final step in His plan included the cross, where salvation was made possible, and sending the Holy Spirit to draw us to God.

Although we all bear the traits of fallen men, we can all be restored to God through simple faith in Christ.

Pastor Jim