God Our Creator
Genesis 1:1-5, 26
In the beginning God
In the beginning God created
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Psalm 19:1 – “The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship.” When you look at the vastness of the universe, travel the world and see the wonders of creation, it takes more faith to not believe in God our Creator than to accept Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God.”
In all of creation there was not a greater creation than the creation of man. Genesis 1:26-27. The creation of man was unique in all of God’s creation. Only in the creation of man did God breathe a living soul. 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, (reflects God’s nature) in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.”
All people created in the image of God have the capacity for holiness and righteousness. After his creation Adam could sing out, “It is will with my soul.”
Adam and Eve were living a life of Utopia. They were enjoying a life of peace and harmony with pain free living. Satan, in disguise as a beautiful serpent slithered his deceitful and luring head into their lives and gave them a critical question to consider. Satan is a master of bringing doubts and questions to your mind. Satan had them question God’s purpose for their lives. “Is God holding out on you?” “God doesn’t want you to experience the higher power of knowledge by eating the fruit that will make you more like your Creator.
Adam and Eve questioned their Creator and disobeyed God by tasting the fruit. By disobeying God they sinned and fell from God’s grace and blessing.
Every person created since Adam and Eve have inherited that same tendency toward rebellion and sin. God in love and grace provided a way for all people to get back to God. Genesis 3:8-19 God gave his pronouncement on Adam, Eve and Satan. A great promise is given in Genesis 3:15, God speaks to Satan, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” The coming of the Messiah, Jesus would permanently crush Satan’s power through His death on the cross. In Christ God provided the bridge back to God. The Cross bridged the gap caused by sin.
Just as God gave Adam and Eve free will to choose to obey or disobey. God gives everyone the freedom to choose or reject walking across the bridge to life.
Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit does all He can to get people to step on the bridge and walk across to life. Jesus created everyone to have life and have it to the full. Jesus said, John 10:10b, “I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.”
God your creator knows all about you and He wants you to know all about Him. The Bible says that before you were born God knew you. Jeremiah 1:5, I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb…” Psalm 139:13-14, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex? Your workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it.” NLT
God Made You and Loves You.
The scripture is clear that God made you and then threw away your pattern. He loves you and cares for you. You are wonderfully made. You are unique. Even twins with similar physical characteristics are unique in their personalities.
In the movies “March of the Penguins” or “Happy Feet” all penguins looked alike. They find their mate or mother by their unique sound. And to me all the sounds seemed similar.
When traveling I find it interesting to watch people walking through the airport. People walk by in with their unique appearance and personality. I often wonder what their story is!
When flying I often ask the person sitting next to me a question to see if they are willing to share part of their story. I ask, “Where are you traveling today, going on business or back home?” This question often opens up a time of discussion.
A week ago I flew to Indianapolis, IN on an assignment for the FM denomination. On the way I met a retired executive traveling from S.J. to Florida. He had visited his mother in the Bay area. He had retired several years ago from an executive position with a Tech company in the Bay area. In our discussion I learned that he is now the manager of a 6,000 unit hotel at Disney World in Orlando.
Flying back from Indy I met a young executive of a Japanese owned company. He lives in Palo Alto and works in Morgan Hill off Cochran on Jarvis. His company does testing of computer chips.
In my conversations I get the opportunity to tell about the ministries of the Willow Vale Community church and how Jesus has blessed me and my family.
When you ask questions and listen to the story of others you often have the opportunity to tell your own story of God’s love and blessings in you life.
God created you and loves you. You know what? God loves you just as you are. In the sight of God you are beautiful. Beauty in the sight of God has nothing to do with how you look on the outside. God looks at your inner beauty, your attitudes, your character and your heart.
I Samuel 16:7, “Man looks on the outside, but God looks on the heart.” God sent the prophet Samuel to the home of Jesse to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to become the new king. Samuel had each son pass before him, but the Lord said, “No this is not the one I have chosen.” All the seven sons passed before Samuel and he asked, is there no other son. “Well there is David, but he is just a boy. He is out in the field tending sheep.” Samuel said he would not go until he met David. When Samuel met David the Lord said, “He’s the one. Rise up and anoint him.”
God saw in the heart of David the characteristics needed for a King.
God sees the beauty of your heart and life. People look on the outside of your life, but God looks on the inside. Many people spend hours working on improving their physical appearance, but seconds and minutes on improving their spiritual condition. Both areas are important, but God’s main focus is on the inner person, your character and your attitudes.
God loves you and wants you to have adequate self love.
Here is a biblical principle: “You need adequate self love and self acceptance before you can adequately love and appreciate others.
Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Matthew 22:39.
Cecil Osborne, in his book, “The Art of Loving Yourself,” lists several ways you can tell if you lack adequate self love:
1. Overly sensitive – more easily offended than most people
2. Argumentative
3. Possess a critical spirit
4. Intolerant of the ideas of others.
5. An angry person, who blows up easily.
6. An unforgiving person who tends to hold grudges.
7. Excessively jealous.
8. A poor listener.
9. Materialistic
10. Impressed by titles, honors and degrees.
11. A poor loser.
12. Finds it hard to accept compliments.”
Having an adequate self love and appreciation begins with positive self talk. When you look in the mirror don’t say, “God, you made a mistake.” Say, “Thanks you God for making me, I know you don’t make junk. I’m attractive to you; I’m not dumb, or inferior. I am a charming and talented person.”
At the Pan American Games years ago, Greg Louganis was asked how he coped with the stress of International diving competition. He replied that he climbs up to the diving board, takes a deep breath, and thinks, “Even if I blow this dive, my mother will still love me.” Then he goes on and does a near perfect dive.
When Satan tempts you to have self doubts that you are a worthless no good person and that you are good for nothing and are a miserable failure in life. Answer Satan with scripture: Psalm 139:14, “I thank God for making me so wonderfully complex? God’s workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it.” NLT
When struggling with inadequate self love and self appreciation, keep scripture close at hand. Memorize God’s promises of his love and that you are okay.
Don’t get caught in the trap of comparing yourself with others. It’s a sin to covet being like someone else. II Corinthians 10:12, “Oh, don’t worry; I wouldn’t dare say that I am as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, and measuring themselves by themselves. What foolishness!”
It’s foolishness to compare your self with others. A spirit of jealousy can poison your soul. You are only responsible to be the best person God created you to be. Celebrate what God has given you.
God wants you to be the best person you can be. In the Men’s Fraternity study, “The Great Adventure,” Robert Lewis suggest three stages most people go through in life – survival, success and significance. I want to suggest a fourth, surrender.
The first stage is survival. Many people get stuck at this level. They spend their entire lives just trying to survive. At the survival stage the person says, “I am the master of my fate and captain of my soul.” The survival stage is all about me.
The second stage is success. The goal of this stage is success at any price. The price of success is often broken families and broken lives. “I want to achieve financial freedom, power and honor among men. I want to be known as a winner.”
Solomon had insight when he said that at the end of success is meaninglessness. “Anything I wanted I took. I did not restrain myself from any joy. I even found great pleasure in hard work, an additional reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless. It was like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.” Ecclesiastes 2:10-11.
“People who live only for wealth come to the end of their lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day they were born.” Ecclesiastes 5:15
The third stage is surrender. Everyone needs a divine moment when God speaks. When God speaks we need to listen. God will speak but if we refuse to listen our hard becomes harder each time we refuse to listen. When we close our heart to God’s voice his voice becomes weaker each time he speaks.
When God speaks, listen. You have the promise, “When you seek God with all your heart you will find Him.” Jeremiah 29:13
When you confess that you have sinned and need God’s forgiveness you surrender to the Lord. In your heart you can say, “Jesus loves me, this I know for the bible tells me so.”
The fourth stage is significance. At this level you endeavor to live out the life pleasing to Jesus. You live for others. At this level you know that life is not about “me.” Your desire is to do God’s will not your own will. A person living a life of significance is always on the lookout to do or say something that is pleasing to Jesus.
The stages of surrender and significance are levels where you enjoy adequate self love and acceptance. God created you to stand tall and walk with Jesus in confidence and celebrate the person God made you to be.
Luke 13:10-13 Luke tells about woman who was bent over double. She had been in that condition for 18 years. Satan had afflicted her so she could not stand up straight. Can you imagine spending 18 years staring at the ground?
Life’s experiences can cause a person to be crippled emotionally as well as physically.
There are many life experiences that can cause a load of cares that bend you down.
• Growing up in a negative atmosphere where you hear parents telling you that you are no good. A negative atmosphere over time can scar a person’s soul.
• To be abused physically or sexually by close relatives or parents can wound a person’s spirit.
• Evil habits of various addictions (drugs, pornography, compulsions) can cause crippling wounds.
Satan can keep you crippled for years with negative feelings that you are not a good person and will never experience love. Deep inferior feelings are crippling.
Satan can so twist up a person’s life that they become bent over with the cares of life. Like being trapped in an iron box, they are not able to escape. Life seems hopeless.
Jesus saw the woman standing among the crowd. She was probably trying to hide not being proud of her condition. Jesus saw her and called her over. Jesus never overlooks you. Jesus loves you and cares for you. Jesus said to her, “Woman, you are set fee from your infirmity.” Then Jesus touched her and she immediately stood up straight -- the first time in 18 years. Her first response, she praised and thanked God. She probably hadn’t spoken much in public for 18 years. Now she was set free to be all that God wanted her to be.
Do you struggle with self love and acceptance? Do you struggle with disabling fears? Do you struggle with deep inferior feelings? Here’s the good news. The creator of the Universe, Jesus Christ can bring you healing. Whatever your situation in life? Whatever negative experiences, abuses, stresses, problems, that have caused you to have emotional or physical wounds, you can be set free. Jesus wants to touch you and set you free to stand tall for Him.
Closing Prayer
