Section Two: The Personal Characteristics of a Godly Life.

Our current theme: Characteristic Three: Being Extremely Valued.                        

Our reading for today: Psalm 8: 3-9 (MsgB)

I look up at Your macro-skies, dark and enormous, Your handmade sky-jewelry; moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, “Why do You bother with us? Why take a second look our way?” Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden’s dawn light. You put us in charge of Your handcrafted world, repeated to us Your Genesis-charge; made us lords of sheep and cattle, even animals out in the wild; birds flying and fish swimming, whales singing in the ocean deeps. God, brilliant Lord, Your name echoes around the world.

Let’s face it. When you or I know something has great value or worth, we take much better care of it. Right?

A piece of costume jewelry, for example, is kept on the top of a dresser. A diamond ring worth thousands of dollars is kept in a safe. A pocketful of change gets thrown onto a desktop, while a valuable collection of gold coins stays in a bank vault.

So it is with our human existence.

How we see our worth or value, as human beings, will govern the way we treat ourselves and others. If I think very little of myself, going through life with a low self-esteem and a sense of failure, chances are that others will see me and treat me as such, as well. But if I’m able to walk through life with my head held high, believing I am truly worth something and that I have value and worth to others, I will most likely succeed in most endeavors I choose to participate in, achieving much more than if I simply shuffle through life, wondering why I was ever born in the first place.

So when God speaks in Genesis 1 about who you and I are as human beings (we are good…very good), it’s really important that we pay attention to those first few words spoken about us. That’s why I’ve always thought it sad that the Church seems to pay much more attention to Genesis 2 and 3, where we humans show our clumsy ineptness and our uncanny ability of messing up a good plan from God.

Yes, we are all sinners in need of a Savior, but know this. At the core of each human being on the planet, (statisticians approximate that there are 7.3 billion of us alive right now) there is something good that has been crafted inside us that is made in the image and likeness of our Creator/King. And that spark of fire that dwells deep inside; that chip off the old block; is the key to our existence both in this life and the life to come.

As a matter of fact, it’s that little ember of God-life inside us that has caused all the fuss in the first place. You see, when God placed His unique gift of life inside us, crafting us in His image and likeness, we received something no other living creature on the planet has ever received. In actuality, even the angels and demons are unable to fully comprehend the unique gift of human life that God placed inside. As David tries to describe it here in Psalm 8, he chooses a description like this…

Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden’s dawn light.

So here we are…somewhere between the beginning (Genesis) and the end (Revelation). Stuck in the middle here with each other!

Yes, the human race has accomplished some amazing things on this planet thus far. Yet we continue every day to do such stupid things, it boggles the mind. War, hatred, abuse, rage, etc., etc. continue to grab the headlines and seem to prove the point the Devil has been trying to make from the dawn of our existence…we are failures! It’s true that on our own, outside of God’s rulership, we human beings are completely unable to get things right. Even our best attempts at caring for one another seem to turn inside-out and upside-down, often causing more problems than when we first began. Lying, cheating, stealing, and killing are still part and parcel with our human existence, even after all these years of telling ourselves that we really are progressing toward peace.

But through the fog of confusion, there still is a truth that was spoken by our Creator at the very beginning, and then clearly reiterated by the words and works of His Son, Jesus of Nazareth. And I suggest that you and I hold onto these God-words, even when everything around us seems to contradict them…even when we feel stuck in the middle of a crowded room with no way out…

We are loved. We are valued. We are worth all the trouble. We are good. We are very good.

My prayer: Life is hard, God. But You are good. Help me to remember, as well, that in the midst of my journey with You, You are consistently whispering in my ear that You believe in me, I’m not alone, I’m not a failure; and with You at my side, we can accomplish much. For Your name’s sake. Amen.

My questions to ponder: So what aspects of my life today need to hear the fact that God highly values me, loves me deeply, and that I’m truly worth all of His efforts to redeem me? How might I encourage others with those God-truths as well?

So what is God speaking to you today as we attempt to live the Christ-centered life?

Over a thirty-six week period, you and I will take a deeper look into twelve key characteristics of a godly life. In other words, we’ll take A Journey into Christian Discipleship. In order to keep all the blog sessions organized, we suggest you bookmark our Journey home page for ease of use. ENJOY!

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