The Work of His Hands

The secularists love to lower human life to the level of animal life. Their unshakable faith in evolutionary theories and their love affair with abortion accompany the debasement of human life. To them, humans are the most advanced animal, but still just an animal.

The Bible records, however, that after God had created everything else by speaking, He "formed man of the dust of the ground." We picture Him carefully shaping the clay with His hands, and then leaning close over the lifeless sculpture. Then God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Later God removed one of that man's ribs and formed it into the first woman. More than any other of God's creatures, we humans are the work of His hands.

When Jesus was on earth He spoke about the worth of that living soul. He said, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Those were no idle words, for Jesus had come to give His life to pay the sin-debt for every human.

The psalmist wondered at God's interest in mankind: "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"

The author of Hebrews quoted from this Psalm when he wrote about the incarnation, explaining that humans are unique in that God, literally, "does not take hold of angels." "For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham." (NASB) That is, Jesus did not suffer and die for angels, but for us.

So Jesus spread His arms on the cross, allowing Roman soldiers to pound spikes through His hands. The nail-pierced hands of Jesus remind us of the great finished work of redemption. He gave His life as a perfect sacrifice once for all of us--for me and for you.

Those who have accepted Christ's pardon for sins by turning from sin to God are doubly the work of His hands. The apostle Paul wrote: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

Human life is sacred. It will continue forever after death in either the bliss of heaven or the pain of hell.

Let's give God thanks this Good Friday that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Just like my kids

"Oh, she's just like my kids."

My neighbor was referring, of course, to her dog. And it was meant as hyperbole.

The thing is, for many in America, it's not hyperbole.

We really care little more for our children than our pets.

Consider:

How many parents take their children to obedience school? Plenty of pet owners take their dogs.

When was the last time you turned on the radio and found a call-in show on child training? I found one on pet training a couple weeks ago.

How many owners of a purebred dog will let it wander the town freely? You wouldn't do that! It might get stolen! It might end up as the mama of a litter of mutts!

But children as young as 3 roam my neighborhood without any adult knowing where they are. Surely the 7-year-old sister is up to keeping an eye on the little one!

When we went to Orlando last year, our resort provided child care so the adults could go enjoy themselves. I had to ask myself what kind of parent leaves his child with perfect strangers in a strange city. But enough did that the resort offered the service. I didn't check what kind of background checks the workers at the day care facility went through because I wasn't going to think of leaving my children there. I'll bet the parents who did leave their children there didn't inquire either. I had just left my dog at a kennel for the trip, but I wasn't about to leave my son or daughter like that.

But this is not about how we pamper our pets.

This is about the fact that our society has devalued its children.

We treat them as pretty playthings, we push them aside when we're done playing with them, we permit perverts to destroy them and suffer only nominal punishment, and we throw them away if we decide we don't want them.

How different from the view we find in the Bible!

Children are a heritage from the Lord.

They are something given in trust, something that will outlast us. They are our legacy. They are the measure of our success as individuals, of our usefulness in society.

You will never be sorry you poured your life into your children. The time holding the infant, reading to the child, teaching him a thousand little things -- it is not wasted.

Take the time to let your children know you love them. And really love them! Don't just teach them to play a game -- teach them the value of work by having them work with you week in and week out. Don't just teach them to understand a sport -- teach them to understand life by explaining why your family lives the way you do. Don't just teach them to aspire to admirable occupations -- teach them to aspire to and achieve honorable character.

That takes time. Legacy-building always does.

Celebrate real love--not Hollywood's lust

Happy Valentine's Day! Today we celebrate human love, but how many people know what love is? As my wife and I were shopping at Wal-mart last night, it looked like a giant celebration of pink teddy bears and chocolate hearts. When I was getting our local paper a couple of years ago, the ads made you think Valentine's Day was a lingerie celebration.

But what would average Americans say they celebrate? I think most would define love as the feeling they have toward their spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend. That is what Hollywood teaches. Love is a feeling of affection or romantic desire.

That's why we have so many abortions and so much unmarried cohabitation. People think lust is love. If you are "in love," nothing should stand in the way of your desires. And when the feeling of desire is gone, the "love" is gone, so you might as well move on to someone who you desire ("love") more.

I wish I had a dollar for every person I have heard say they are going to "try out" a relationship by living together before they get married. Our divorce rates indicate many people are just "trying out" marriage, too.

Whatever happened to commitment? It got left behind with real love. I Corinthians 13 says love, as the King James puts it, "seeketh not her own." Love is not self-centered. It is a commitment to doing what is best for the other person. Before marriage, that means practicing abstinence and guarding both your heart and the heart of the one you love from sexual temptation.

The Bible doesn't say to feel affection or desire for your spouse. Those feelings come naturally and fluctuate over time. It says, "Husbands, love your wives." You can't force feelings, but you can do loving actions, and the feelings will usually follow. The Bible also tells wives to "reverence," or respect their husbands. Many women would be surprised how much more loving their husbands would be if they praised and encouraged their husbands, instead of criticizing them.

My wife and I celebrate our mid-year anniversary today, and I can say we are as deeply "in love" as we ever have been. Our feelings for each other are at their strongest, and that makes marriage a lot of fun. But that feeling comes from the fact that two-and-a-half years ago we committed to doing what is best for each other, and we try to fulfill that commitment each day.

So enjoy the pink teddy bears and chocolate hearts with the one you love, but let's be sure we love "in deed and in truth," not just "in word and in tongue."

Wesley Wilson