What is Man?
Watching a video clip of an active volcano this week caused me to reflect upon that scripture which says, "What is man that thou art mindful of him?" (Psalm 8:4). I mean, really, as a photographer was there taking pictures, I was thinking of just how powerless we are in the face of any natural disaster.Oh, we build our dams and flood walls, fire escapes and fire towers, but all of these manmade things can be broken down or toppled.
Think of the magnitude of space, though it is virtually impossible to even imagine, and what a mere speck we are just from the perspective of earth, let alone all of the universe.
Consider the human body; its wonders and intricacies. Though man has made great strides in transplanting organs, creating diagnostic instruments, and sustaining preterm babies, he still can't cure the common cold.
We have great systems of transportation: miles and miles of railroads, subways beneath city streets, buses, vans, cars, and trucks of every size and description, ocean going liners, and planes that can break the barrier of sound, not to mention rockets that can leave the earth's orbit.
We have developed agriculture to the point that some people who live in cities are so out of touch with it that they have honestly become clueless about the origins of their food. To them, food is something you pick up at the store or restaurant. They're never consious of a need for rain, because they forget that it is desperately needed to produce food. Famine is an anomaly.
Education keeps pushing the borders in both directions. At one time, kindergarten was considered optional. My husband, for one, didn't go. Now it is unthinkable to neglect putting your child in preschool. Degrees were reserved for people with money. Presently, in many fields, a bachleor degree is no longer adequate.One must have a minimum of a Master's. Where will it end?
We're pretty busy taking care of ourselves, don't you think? Pretty busy amusing ourselves, as well. Pretty busy pampering ourselves. Pretty busy pushing for our own way.
People were busy in Noah's day, too. Oh, not in the ways we are busy, but Matthew 24:38 says they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Did you catch that? It didn't say up to the day that Noah started building the ark, but rather, when he entered. When Noah started to build the ark, people just went right on, doing what they had always done. They only stopped doing what they had always done once he entered. Because, once he entered, the rain began. Once it began, they were completely defenseless. May I say that the same is true of today?
One day, "as it was in the days of Noah", the son of Man will come. Two people will be together when one is suddenly taken. Then will not be the time to repent. Then will not be the time to call upon the Lord. Then will be too late. What is man that God is mindful of him? Man is God's ultimate creation. The earth is not his ultimate creation, as some would have you believe. (They call them tree huggers.) No, earth was created for man. Animals are not the ultimate creation, as some people portray by their ridiculous actions; but man! Man is the ultimate creation. Man was created in the image of God. Man is that chosen vessel God fills with his Holy Spirit, but only to those who call upon Him in faith, only those who turn from sitting in the driver's seat of their own lives.
Man, then, is so frail, so limited, so small, in the grand scheme of things. And yet, God is indeed mindful of him. He is mindful of every wicked thought, every selfish scheme, every impure motive. Even so, He says, "I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (Jeremiah 29:11) It is His desire to bless you, lead you, and help you. He is not against you, but for you. It is up to you to choose. You may continue to live your life as if God didn't even exist. You may live your life as a "good" person, or you may live your life by faith in the son of God who loved you and gave himself for you. The book of Phillipians says that some day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the father. Will you do it now and spend a blessed eternity with your maker, or will you do it when you die or Jesus returns and spend an eternity in the lake of fire?
Think of the magnitude of space, though it is virtually impossible to even imagine, and what a mere speck we are just from the perspective of earth, let alone all of the universe.
Consider the human body; its wonders and intricacies. Though man has made great strides in transplanting organs, creating diagnostic instruments, and sustaining preterm babies, he still can't cure the common cold.
We have great systems of transportation: miles and miles of railroads, subways beneath city streets, buses, vans, cars, and trucks of every size and description, ocean going liners, and planes that can break the barrier of sound, not to mention rockets that can leave the earth's orbit.
We have developed agriculture to the point that some people who live in cities are so out of touch with it that they have honestly become clueless about the origins of their food. To them, food is something you pick up at the store or restaurant. They're never consious of a need for rain, because they forget that it is desperately needed to produce food. Famine is an anomaly.
Education keeps pushing the borders in both directions. At one time, kindergarten was considered optional. My husband, for one, didn't go. Now it is unthinkable to neglect putting your child in preschool. Degrees were reserved for people with money. Presently, in many fields, a bachleor degree is no longer adequate.One must have a minimum of a Master's. Where will it end?
We're pretty busy taking care of ourselves, don't you think? Pretty busy amusing ourselves, as well. Pretty busy pampering ourselves. Pretty busy pushing for our own way.
People were busy in Noah's day, too. Oh, not in the ways we are busy, but Matthew 24:38 says they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Did you catch that? It didn't say up to the day that Noah started building the ark, but rather, when he entered. When Noah started to build the ark, people just went right on, doing what they had always done. They only stopped doing what they had always done once he entered. Because, once he entered, the rain began. Once it began, they were completely defenseless. May I say that the same is true of today?
One day, "as it was in the days of Noah", the son of Man will come. Two people will be together when one is suddenly taken. Then will not be the time to repent. Then will not be the time to call upon the Lord. Then will be too late. What is man that God is mindful of him? Man is God's ultimate creation. The earth is not his ultimate creation, as some would have you believe. (They call them tree huggers.) No, earth was created for man. Animals are not the ultimate creation, as some people portray by their ridiculous actions; but man! Man is the ultimate creation. Man was created in the image of God. Man is that chosen vessel God fills with his Holy Spirit, but only to those who call upon Him in faith, only those who turn from sitting in the driver's seat of their own lives.
Man, then, is so frail, so limited, so small, in the grand scheme of things. And yet, God is indeed mindful of him. He is mindful of every wicked thought, every selfish scheme, every impure motive. Even so, He says, "I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (Jeremiah 29:11) It is His desire to bless you, lead you, and help you. He is not against you, but for you. It is up to you to choose. You may continue to live your life as if God didn't even exist. You may live your life as a "good" person, or you may live your life by faith in the son of God who loved you and gave himself for you. The book of Phillipians says that some day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the father. Will you do it now and spend a blessed eternity with your maker, or will you do it when you die or Jesus returns and spend an eternity in the lake of fire?
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