THE CROWN OF CREATION

By Dr. William Hallman

Scripture Reading: Gen. 1:26-31; 2:7; Psalm 8

Whence came man on the earth? Did he develop, through untold billions of years, from a simple form of one-celled life? Science can prove no such thing. If evolution were true it would be in continuous operation, and there would be forms of life half-way from the ape to man. How good to turn to this record, and find that this original creation presents both animals and man as coming by direct creative fiat or decree by God.

Man was created, first of all, by God's Sovereign Power. "And God said, Let us make man," ... "And the Lord God formed man. " It is Elohim, the triune God, Who in consultation, acted to create man. Here is unity of purpose, a unanimous decision made in Heaven by the Trinity to create man. What a noble thing it is to have our beginning in a direct creation from above, rather than from the scum of the pond below!

Man was also created through God's Sovereign Process. "Let us make man in our image, after our Iikeness, .... male and female created He them. "The Image Dei, the image of God, is the chief possession of man which relates him to God. It is man alone, who like God, is self-conscious, with ability to rationalize, to create, and to make moral judgments. The "image" establishes relationship; while the "likeness" establishes similarity of character. God takes from the ground and forms a body; then breathes into this body His breath of lives. Man then comes forth as a living soul. Here he stands the crown of God's creation.

Man is created in the third place by God's Sovereign Purpose. Physically, "God made man upright" (Eccl. 7:29). The actual form that sinful man still bears (Gen. 9:6; I Cor. 11:7) was the form that God the Creator took in the person of Jesus Christ. Mentally, man had absolute power to have dominion over, and subdue the earth; also he had wisdom to name every living creature. He was also a moral being with power of choice; not a mechanical entity. Truly we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psa. 139:14). Meditate upon and rejoice in such passages as 2 Cor. 3:18; Col.3:10; Rom. 8:29. 

Daily Smile:

I hear the boys are gonna strike," one worker told another.

"What for?" asked the friend.

"Shorter hours."

"Good for them. I always did think 60 minutes was too long for an hour."  


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Forever With Him

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 gives us powerful prophetic words,

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Jesus Christ will return, and the church will be caught away! We will meet the Lord in the clouds and in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we will be changed. From that moment on, we will always be with the Lord.

Maybe you are going through a rough patch right now. If so, let me remind you that this earthly life is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. But we have eternity in store. Thank God we will ever be with the Lord!

If He tarries and we die before He returns, we get to go to heaven. But I have a feeling, with the way things are shaping up, that we will be the generation that sees His return.

Have you noticed how the eyes of the world are on the Middle East?  This is all end times stuff. Also, one of the things that Jesus said would be a precursor to the end is that the Gospel of the Kingdom would be preached to every nation, literally, to every language group.

And you know what? That will be completed in our generation.

So keep your eyes fixed on His return, and that day you will meet Him in the air and be with Him forever!

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SAFELY IN

By Miles Stanford

"You are made partakers of His resurrection, through the faith wrought in you by God, who raised Him from the dead" (Col. 2:12, Cony.).

All true believers are gratefully aware that they are not going to hell, but few realize that they are already in heaven. 

"There is no question about there being a beautiful new position for the believer, but people limit it to its being theirs when they die. Scripture shows that it is ours now! People say, 'You get to heaven when you die.' No such thing. You have it now. It is not your death that entitles you to it, but the Lord Jesus' death. There is not a single shade that was between us and the Father, but the Lord Jesus has removed in His death." -J.B.S.

"The great work of the Lord Jesus was wrought on the Cross to bring us to the Father; His death and His Blood, His ascension and sitting on the Throne; all mean one thing - our being brought nigh to dwell in the Father's presence. And with what object? That the Father may have us, to mature us, to work in us that which is well-pleasing in His sight. Let no one think that the entrance into the Holiest is the end; it is only the beginning. It brings us into the right position, in which the Father in His divine power can work out His will and purpose in us conforming us to the image of His Son." -A.M.

"The Lord Jesus stood where I was, and now I stand where He is, and that is the only place I have before my Father. We may fail and grieve the Holy Spirit, but that is where we are set." -J.N.D.

"If there be progress upward there must be progress in life and ways down here; you cannot see the need for a change in your ways here until you are transformed by the influence of nearness to Him there. You thus gradually find things here are not suitable for the order and nature of the things which are so attractive to the renewed heart up there." -J.B.S.

"Your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3). 

Daily Smile:

Q: How many politicians does it take to change a light bulb?

A: We don't know. They're still arguing about it.

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So Little Thyme

by Christine Berglund 

With all the varieties of thyme in my collection, it's a standing joke about "just how much thyme I have put into my garden." It is true, gardening takes time, and thyme, too. The herb bed is a favorite spot, and the thymes are definitely one of the most favored of the herbs. I have German Thyme, English Thyme, Lemon Thyme, Silver Thyme, Wooly Thyme, French Thyme, Creeping Thyme, and Elvin Thyme.

"Time, time, time, is on my side; yes it is," sang Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones. But the Bible clearly tells us it is not. Our short stay on this planet is but a blink of an eye in light of eternity.

"As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away" (Psalm 90:10 NASB).

Who among us did not earnestly wish we had more time in the day or the year? The ancients were likely no different. I am just now discovering that I need to take time to do the things I was saving for later, when I'm supposed to have more time. The farmer in the Bible who made big plans about his big barns thought he had unlimited time, but God proclaimed him to be a fool. He did not know when his time was up on this earth. None of mankind does.

This is why God has "set eternity in their heart"(Ecclesiastes 3:11). This life is so short and full of frenzied activity to get everything done, that the idea of eternity calms our anxious souls.

Have you ever thought it was, say, Wednesday when it was only Tuesday? Or looked at a clock wrong and then discovered you really had an extra hour or two? Allow the concept of eternity to sink in, and feel the same wave of relief wash across your frantic mind.

Yes, there is much to do in this life, and some of it has to be done before it is eternally too late. Precious people heading in the wrong direction, eternally, present an emergency that cannot wait.We don't have a guarantee of more time — not even a minute! Therefore those who are wise are "making the most of [their] time, because the days are evil"(Ephesians 5:16).

In the bigger scheme, we actually have much more time than we think.Prayerfully allow yourself to think in the broader sense of time and of eternity, and the important things will fall into place.You will do a better job using the time you have.

I think my Thyme is up.

Daily Smile:

A Sunday school teacher asked her little children, as they were on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" 

One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping."




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Defining Your Personal Value

    Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

BIBLE MEDITATION:
  “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Do you try to be the best or do you simply try to do your best? The perfectionist has to be the best. He has to be #1. He can’t accept himself.

The grace of God exalts a man without inflating him, and it humbles a man without debasing him. The person who strives for excellence says, “I am what I am by the grace of God.”

Do you value yourself by what you do or by what you are? You have a choice. You can either choose to see yourself as God sees you, or you can choose to see yourself as the world sees you. Whose opinion will you listen to today?

ACTION POINT:
Is there someone in your life whose opinion matters deeply to you? Instead of defining who you are by their opinions, measure yourself by God’s standard in His Word.

Daily Smile:

A Cajun named, Jean Paul, moved to Texas and bought a donkey from an old farmer named Ben for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.

The next day, Ben drove up and said, "Sorry, but I have some bad news. The donkey died."

"Well, then, just give me the money back," said Jean Paul

"Can't do that. I went and spent it already." Replied Ben

"OK, then. Just unload the donkey," said Jean Paul.

"What ya going to do with him?" asked Ben.

"I'm going to raffle him off," said Jean Paul.

"You can't raffle off a dead donkey!" uttered Ben.

"Sure can. Watch me. I just won't tell that he's dead," said Jean Paul.

A month later Ben met up with the Cajun and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?"

"I raffled him off, I did. I sold 500-hundred tickets at two dollars apiece and made a profit of $898," said Jean Paul.

"Didn't anyone complain?" inquired Ben.

"Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back,” said Jean Paul.

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