(You Are) Wonderfully Made

Psalm 139:13-14

Wonderfully Made (Classic)

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14

I don’t know much about knitting…

But I do know that knitting is a craft that requires patience, precision, focused effort and knowledge of what “it” will look like at the end.

That’s why these verses have always fascinated me. It is awesome to think that God through the Psalmist used the idea and word “knitting” to describe how we are “assembled” in our mothers’ wombs – long before we would ever be able to see the process via technology like ultrasounds. Patiently, purposefully, and with the full knowledge of our life, we are woven together in that sacred place. It’s wonderful, you might say 😉

Many times recently I have reflected on the value of life. Events like these have the impact of reminding us how precious each life is. Each day, we wake up, we get going to whatever we need to do, and rarely do we stop and think, “I am breathing – I am alive.”

Life moves so fast and gets so complicated; we take life – just being alive, for granted. And we live in a culture that seems bent on celebrating things that mostly take away from life. We also live in a time with such an emphasis on superficial appearance over character and other things of substance. It leaves a lot of people feeling ugly and unworthy and valueless.

But then we hear these words, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well,” it should stop us and awaken us to the value God places on life and our lives.

A friend named Erin is a teacher and professional make-up artist and named her business Wonderfully-Made based on this verse. She explained to me that she loves to use her gifts to bring out the “inner radiance” of women for weddings and special events, and that it is also an opportunity to talk about her love for the Lord and share the meaning of these verses.

We are created by God with an outer and inner radiance – no matter if others see it or not. And this sovereign, purposeful God doesn’t make mistakes. Every single one of us, no matter how brief or long our lives are – are wonderfully made by God for a purpose. And because He has made us “wonderfully” we have value, a value that no one and nothing in this world can add or take away from.

“You make everything glorious…what does that make me?” is a verse from the song “Glorious” by the David Crowder Band. What does that make us? It makes us able to reflect God’s glory through our words, actions, relationships and more.

Jesus, who was the fullness of God’s glory while he was on earth, added to the idea that we are “wonderfully” made when he said that he came to give us “life abundant (John 10:10).” The idea that we are not merely created to exist, but that our lives, when seeking to follow in His footsteps, will be richer, truer, more vital and more flourishing than we can imagine – wonder-full.

We are wonderful works of God. We were knitted together by Almighty God. We are invited to more than an existence, rather, to be fully alive in Jesus, and we are given the power to do so through the Holy Spirit – who is the very breath of God living inside us.

Maybe you just feel blah these days. Perhaps you have experienced the loss of a loved one recently. Possibly, you came very close to losing your life. Maybe, you are having trouble seeing any value for your life. Maybe something or someone in your life is causing you to feel worthless.

Please know this – everything about God is pointed toward life – from creation to salvation, from the cross to the resurrection, from life to eternal life, from Genesis to Revelation, from our first heartbeat until our last.

Let’s start living and praising God daily – ever more mindful of how precious this life we have been given truly is.

Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. Would you say you are mindful of being “wonderfully made” by God?
2. Have you had experiences where you were strongly reminded about the value of life?
3. What parts of your life are about “living” and which parts are taking away life?
4. Do you ever think there is more to life that what you see? Say more…

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@sbcglobal.net

www.christopherbwolf.com

Read Full Post »

Wonderfully Made

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14

 

I don’t know much about how to knit…

 

But I do know that knitting is a craft that requires patience, precision, focused effort and knowledge of what “it” will look like at the end.

 

That’s why these verses have always fascinated me. It is awesome to think that God through the Psalmist used the idea and word “knitting” to describe how we are “assembled” in our mothers’ wombs – long before we would ever be able to see the process via technology like ultrasounds. Patiently, purposefully, and with the full knowledge of our life, we are woven together in that sacred place. It’s wonderful, you might say 😉

 

Many times this week I reflected on the value of life. I saw and felt it in loss and near loss of life. Events like these have the impact of reminding us how precious each life is. Each day, we wake up, we get going to whatever we need to do, and rarely do we stop and think, “I am breathing – I am alive.”

 

Life moves so fast and gets so complicated, we take life – just being alive, for granted. And we live in a culture that seems bent on celebrating things that mostly take away from life. We also live in a time with such an emphasis on superficial appearance over character and other things of substance. It leaves a lot of people feeling ugly and unworthy and valueless.  

 

But then we hear these words, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well,” it should stop us and awaken us to the value God places on life and our lives.

 

A friend of ours named Erin is a professional make-up artist and named her business Wonderfully-Made based on this verse. She explained to me that she loves to use her gifts to bring out the “inner radiance” of women for weddings and special events, and that it is also an opportunity to talk about her love for the Lord and share the meaning of these verses.   

 

We are created by God with an outer and inner radiance – no matter if others see it or not. And this sovereign, purposeful God doesn’t make mistakes. Every single one of us, no matter how brief or long our lives are – are wonderfully made by God for a purpose. And because He has made us “wonderfully” we have value, a value that no one and nothing in this world can add or take away from.   

 

“You make everything glorious…what does that make me?” is a verse from the song “Glorious” by the David Crowder Band. What does that make us? It makes us able to reflect God’s glory through our words, actions, relationships and more.  

 

Jesus, who was the fullness of God’s glory in human form while he was on earth, added to the idea that we are “wonderfully” made when he said that he came to give us “life abundant (John 10:10).” The idea that we are not merely created to exist, but that our lives, when seeking to follow in His footsteps, will be richer, truer, more vital and more flourishing than we can imagine – wonder-full.

 

We are wonderful works of God. We were knitted together by Almighty God. We are invited to more than an existence, rather, to be fully alive in Jesus, and we are given the power to do so through the Holy Spirit – who is the very breath of God living inside us.

 

Maybe you just feel blah these days. Perhaps you have experienced the loss of a loved one recently. Possibly, you came very close to losing your life. Maybe, you are having trouble seeing any value for your life. Maybe something or someone in your life is causing you to feel worthless.

 

Please know this – everything about God is pointed toward life – from creation to salvation, from the cross to the resurrection, from life to eternal life, from Genesis to Revelation, from our first heartbeat until our last.  

 

Let’s start living and praising God daily – ever more mindful of how precious this life we have been given truly is.

 

Amen.

 

Discussion Questions

1. Would you say you are mindful of being “wonderfully made” by God?
2. Have you had experiences where you were strongly reminded about the value of life?
3. What parts of your life are about “living” and which parts are taking away life?
4. Do you ever think there is more to life that what you see? Say more…

Read Full Post »

No Separation

Romans 8:38-39

No Separation  

38 “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

 

The word “separation” has a lot of meaning. As you know it carries the connotation for marriage of a husband and wife no longer living together. There is “separation anxiety,” a state in which children and adults suffer severe emotional reactions to be being apart from loved ones. It is also the subject of a lot of songs and literature.

 

When I think of separation, real separation, it has an uncomfortable quiet to it. The voices we miss. The faces it hurts to not see as we once did. At the same it has a desire to it. You want to be with certain people or places but can’t. To be separated from love (from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (39)) though is something else. Phone calls and emails in the end aren’t enough. There is no substitute for presence and love and affection and care. I think of widows and widowers who lose their loved one after 40 to 50 years of marriage and they can’t feel that love anymore. Not only them, anytime there is separation of a cherished relationship. This is the heartbreak of separation. We can barely feel the love anymore.

 

 

In other words, it is on our minds a lot.

 

In a spiritual sense there is separation as well. Listen to this list from Paul in the letter to the Romans, of all the things that could conceivably keep us from God: death, life, other spiritual powers, time (present or future), distance, and then “anything else in all creation (38-39).”

 

What is it about these? They are all things that we as humans could either find as separating from God or use as excuses for remaining separate from God. Sometimes it seems easy for us to say, “I am so far away from God, and I can’t get back (spiritual distance).” Or we say, “It has been too long or I am too busy (time).”

 

The one thing they all have in common is all of them are created. Nothing that is created can have power over its creator. So that “anything else in all creation (39)” does not compare to and has no power over the Creator, God. No other person, no institution, no amount of time, no distance can, “separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (39).”

 

And this is what Jesus accomplishes through His life, death and resurrection. Through and thanks to Him, the separation was bridged – eternally. The love of God in Christ Jesus can be ours – ours to experience and to be healed through and to share with others. It only takes faith in Jesus as Savior. That is the confidence on which Paul stands with his claim of “nothing…will be able to separate us…” (39-39). It is the confidence we can also stand on today.

 

And when Jesus bridges our separation from God’s love, it can give us the ability to close the distance, years and history between others and us in this life and the life to come.

 

Amen.

 

Discussion Questions

1. What are some ways we can feel separated from God?
2. What are some things you are allowing to separate yourself from God?
3. How are you experiencing separation in your life and faith?
4. Today’s passage is a bold claim. Can you believe it? Do you see Paul’s logic?
5.  What does it mean for our lives, if there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus?

Read Full Post »

Give it a Rest

Genesis 2:1-3

Give It a Rest (Remix of Sunday’s (8/24) message – audio download – http://www.firstgrandville.org/content.cfm?id=213&category_id=4

 

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had done. “ Genesis 2:1-2

 

 

Hey, I have a couple of questions for you.

 

When was the last time you were without your cell phone, Blackberry or PDA?

 

Do you often think that everything will fall apart if you are not there (work, family, etc.)?

 

Do you feel like things are spinning out of control and you don’t know how you will keep it all together?

 

Here we are on the edge of the “busy” season for many businesses, and school and church starting again – as well as all the activities that accompany those commitments. We look at our calendars with dismay and wonder how it will all happen – and what will be left of us by October.  

 

You see, we weren’t designed to be on the brink of falling apart physically and emotionally.

 

There is a better way.

 

It is actually God’s design, which He built into the system. That is what this idea of rest is about in this passage.

 

Think about it. Why does an omnipotent, all-powerful Creator God need to rest? He didn’t and doesn’t. Remember, He neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121).

 

So why is this rest in here. One main reason is that He knew that we are limited. There is only so much a human can take – physically, mentally and emotionally.

 

If you are at the end of your rope now, or are not too far, you know this.

 

But there is spiritual element to rest also. When we try accomplish so much, when we convince ourselves that we are so important, we are essentially saying that we don’t trust the Lord. We are saying we trust our power over God’s power. What can any of us, in any part of life, add or subtract from what God does? This is what happens when we put ourselves in the center rather than God being there. When God built rest into His design, it was in part because He has everything under control. I know it may not seem like it sometimes (many times) but He does. He is sovereign. And so often we think that if we do more, try harder, keep stretching, we can do what God can do. Wrong. And worse, it is dangerous for us, for our relationships and for others.

 

Besides, boundaries mean health. I know our society really likes to hold up over-achievers. But in the end it isn’t health. Again, not the way God designed us. There is a time for work and there is plenty of work to do; but there is also a time for rest.

 

What is sacred today? Very little. Why? Because we refuse to say “no” to so much – no boundaries. Keeping things sacred in society or in our own lives often can start with drawing a line. Saying “no” to the world is saying “yes” to God.

 

And when we think of saying “yes” to God or “yes” to holiness, we often think of a checklist that we need fulfill. This passage offers a path to holiness by abstaining – by resting. Holiness as acknowledging God over ourselves, His power over our power; and by obeying – because He wants to sustain us through our being in relationship with Him.

 

God designed this world and everything in it, and it was good. And He is so good that He designed within His creation, a way of restoration, a way of life giving, a protective seal called rest. God is the author of life; and in a world full of sin, decay and death – He still provides rest, blessing and holiness.

 

Oh what we are missing by ignoring this idea of resting in the Lord! As a pastor and brother in Christ, with this message today, I don’t want to see you work and work and work and ultimately wear out and burn out, when this gift of rest was there for you all along.

 

Hear the tender voice of Jesus calling, “Come to me all you who are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest…(Matthew 11:28).”

 

There can be an end to the chaos and the endless chases that end in emptiness.

 

Amen.

 

Discussion Questions

1. Can you name something that you can start to rest from today?
2. Why do you think it is hard to let go of controlling things?
3. Who is in charge of your life, God or you? Do your actions and thoughts reflect your answer? Is that the way you want it?
4. Do you find it hard to say “no?” Why do you think this is?
5. What is one thing or part of your life that you can start to make sacred today?

Read Full Post »