Fearfully And Wonderfully Made August 12, 2015

Psalms 139: 3-5     …You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.… 

Hebrews 4:13     Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Psalm 40:9     I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, LORD, as you know.

Psalm 23:2-3      He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake.

When God looked at the world He’d made, He declared it good. Genesis 1:27 summarizes the crowning achievement of His creative work: “God created man in His own image . . . male and female He created them.” Psalm 139 reminds us that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”

The Lord has given each of His children great potential for service in His kingdom. However, some of us have serious doubts that this is true. When we compare ourselves to other people, we notice the things we lack. At other times, we repeatedly criticize ourselves for mistakes we’ve made. How can we have awesome potential when we see so many ways in which we fall short? Consider these biblical examples:

Moses appeared to have many advantages while he was growing up in Pharaoh’s household. Then he killed an Egyptian and fled the country. No longer did he seem a likely candidate to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. But God looked beyond what Moses had done and saw who he could become.

Paul, prior to salvation, had vehemently persecuted those who believed in Jesus. Yet through God’s mercy, the apostle became a mighty evangelist and author of nearly a third of the New Testament.

Peter was a simple fisherman who denied—not once but three times—that he knew Jesus. Still, the Lord chose him to become the leader of the Jerusalem church.

Our Father sees beyond our human frailties to the potential we have in Christ. Because we were made in God’s image and His Spirit dwells in us, we have a greater capacity for spiritual transformation and service than we could imagine. Seek to become the person God has equipped you to be.