Christian Daily Devotions

Made By God

Written by FAVORED1 on March 9, 2010 – 2:49 pm -

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

I will praise You; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Your works; and that my soul knows right well.
[Psalm 139:14]

MADE BY GOD!

Good Afternoon Beloved,

I absolutely love this verse. Barring a mental medical condition, there should not be an insecure member in the Body of Christ. For many years, this has been a quiet, almost polarizing thought in Christiandom. One side believing that in order to be meek and humble like our Lord, we must almost denegrate ourselves (“At last and did my Savior bleed and did my Sovereign die, would He devote that Sacred Head for such a worm as I’) … beautiful words from a pure heart of total devotion to God. The other side verging on “spiritual arrogance”. There are also a few scriptures that would seem to support the “worm” thought as well:

I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister. [Job 17:14]

How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm? [Job 25:6]

But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. [Psalm 22:6]

Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. [Mark 9:44]

(*This phrase is mentioned 3 times in Mark)

Even the Lord seems to support it by this verse:

Though you are a lowly worm, O Jacob, don’t be afraid, people of Israel, for I will help you. (Isaiah 41:14)

What is going on here? Are we “fearfully and wonderfully” made or are we “worms”. Remember the Bible tells us to “rightly divide the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy:2:15). Does the character of who God is support what is being said? What part does our English translation play in all this? Well, I was puzzled, so I looked at the phrases a little deeper. In Isaiah, it is interesting to me that God calls “Jacob” a “lowly worm” and acknowleges the people of Israel as “people”. Remember God changed Israel’s name from “Jacob” which means “deceiver“, to the honorable ‘Israel’ which means “God Wrestler or “Champion of God“. If you notice, sometimes God uses the names interchangebly when discussing “Israel’s” descendants. Possibly based on what they were doing at the time. When He called them the people of “Jacob”, they were probably “cuttin’ up” (as my grandma would say), and when He called them Children of “Israel”, He was speaking into their future as His people, and remembering His covenant with them. Regarding Mark 9, I noticed a note tagged on this verse by Ezra Palmer Gould, cited by A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures and Henry Swete, The Gospel According to Saint Mark. It said:

Where their worm [*which preys on the inhabitants and is a symbol of the wounds inflicted on the man himself by his sins] does not die, and the fire is not put out. (Mark 9:48)

In that instance, it would seem that Mark is speaking of that which will face eternal destruction. Fascinating. What amazes me is that God never leaves us without an answer. The issue for me was settled when Jesus told His disciples:

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you. [John 15:15]

And Galatians takes it over the top ~

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore you are no more a servant, but a *son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. [Galatians 4:4-7]

(*son having more to do with position, than gender… ladies in this context we are “sons”, the same as the fellows are members of the “bride” of Christ)

BALANCE… God does not tell us this for use to get a “big head” or become puffed up and prideful. He told us who we were so that we would have no excuse for being what He called us. All pity-parties were cancelled by His Word… now we can work… build the Kingdom, produce fruit.. be that church “without spot or wrinkle or any such thing” [Ephesians 5:27] …

… and THAT Beloved is Good News!

Y Stress? … U Blessed!

Have A Fabulously Wonderful Day

Regina