As I study and ponder the purposes God has for man, God’s character, mans’ nature, I continue to be amazed and thankful to the Lord who created all things. Me.
Gruden writes: Our Great Dignity as Bearers of God’s Image.
“It would be good for us to reflect on our likeness to God more often. It will probably amaze us to realize that when the Creator of the universe wanted to create something “in his image,” something more like Himself than all the rest of creation, He made us. This realization will give us a profound sense of dignity and significance as we reflect on the excellence of all the rest of God’s creation: the starry universe, the abundant earth, the world of plants and animals, and the angelic kingdoms are remarkable, even magnificent. But we are more like our Creator than any of these things. We are the culmination of God’s infinitely wise and skillful work of creation. Even though sin has greatly marred that likeness, we nonetheless now reflect much of it and shall even more as we grow in likeness to Christ.
Yet we must remember that even fallen, sinful man has the status of being in God’s image. Every single human being, no matter how much the image of God is marred by sin, or illness, or weakness, or age, or any other disability, still has the status of being in God’s image and therefore must be treated with the dignity and respect that is due to God’s image-bearer. This has profound implications for our conduct toward others. It means that people of every race deserve equal dignity and rights. It means that elderly people, those seriously ill, the mentally retarded, and children yet unborn, deserve full protection and honor as human beings. If we ever deny our unique status in creation as God’s only image-bearers, we will soon begin to depreciate the value of human life, will tend to see humans as merely a higher form of animal, and will begin to treat others as such. We will also lose much of our sense of meaning in life.”
How far we have fallen in this great America that was founded on so many Biblical precepts that were believed and lived out by Godly men and women. Now we have the darkness of Islam and other cults as a cloud over our country, rejection of God and atheism finding root in our thinking, becoming a nation of people who call evil, good and revel in our deceptions. We are in more danger from our homegrown “terrorists” than outside “Taliban”. Shootings in elementary schools, neighborhood theaters college campuses, medical clinics, neighborhood parks, and churches. No sacred ground. Why we ask? Because our mind-set as a nation (full of individuals) is set on Self Glorification, Selfish Ambition,and Vain Conceit, rather than glorifying the Lord who holds all things together by the power of His Word. The Lord reminds us of times past stating:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” Hosea 4:6
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight! Isaiah 5:21
How we need to gaze into a new mirror cleaned off with God’s Truth, view ourselves as we truly are, and cry out for the transforming and saving power of God. We must bend our knee in surrender to Him who can make all things new.
