(Part 1 of Man/Woman)
We’ve going to start with a little exercise, don’t worry
it won’t take long.
Take your hands and interlock them as if you were
praying. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
Squeeze them together making sure your thumbs are pushing down on your hands until you can feel a pulse.
Squeeze them together making sure your thumbs are pushing down on your hands until you can feel a pulse.
Still squeezing your hands, take a deep breath through
the nose. Hold it two seconds and release
slowly through the mouth. Repeat this.
Now once more, but this time as you breathe out slowly
release your hands and relax. Do you
know what you are experiencing? Life!
Welcome new friends this week from:
See if your city/state/country made the list.
New on DFB – Vanuatu; Afghanistan; Croatia; Iraq ;
Kuwait; Cameroon; Hong Kong; Romania; Kincolith, BC & Moncton, NB, Canada; Quadring,
England, United Kingdom; Germany; Portugal; Russia; Turkmenistan; Yemen; Brazil;
Ukraine; Kenya.
USA
– Magalia, Paradise & Chico, CA; Aledo, Andalusia,
Rock Island, Lawrenceville, Milan, Chicago, Reynolds, Olney & Moline, IL; Cedar
Springs, MI; Manchaca, TX; Milford, CT; Newark, DE; Runnemede, NJ; Rehoboth,
Swansea & Westport, MA; Linglestown, PA; Tazewell, VA.
I am so thankful for your visit and hope that you come
back each week to participate in the weekly challenges. Join us in our new series as we spend time in
the study of Daily Favor Relationships.
You are welcome to leave comments or prayer requests below. All are private. I would love to hear from
you and how Daily Favor has worked in your life. Contact me by leaving a message in the box at
the bottom of this week’s post.
Don't miss
out on this week's challenge (below).
Let’s Get Together
Do you know how hard it is to actually collaborate
anything with a spouse? If you do, I can relate. Every time I wanted to “discuss” our topic
either my husband wasn’t available or I was on another assignment.
Our conversations would begin around 2 a.m. when we were
both ready to call it a night, but one or the other would fall asleep. Finally when we did get together we’d talk for
hours and get so deep into the conversation it would take us off topic.
Then we decided to focus on one verse (like that would
keep us off the rabbit trails). This is
where hubby would accuse me of holding up the rapture saying God isn’t ready to
face me with all my questions.
I got to thinking, what day in past eternity did God
decide, “Hey, I know what we should do today.
Let’s get together and make a man.”?
Why now? Why was this the time to change the rest of eternity?
Why now? Why was this the time to change the rest of eternity?
Did Jesus have to clear His schedule, “Father, I’ll be
out of the universe that day. Let’s make it next Friday for creating mankind.”
Was the Holy Spirit running behind because all of the
other things He just brought to life? No
of course not, but it doesn’t stop us wondering, “What happened the day man
came to life?”
So God created man in His own image;
He created him in the image of God;
He created them male and female.
He created him in the image of God;
He created them male and female.
First
Relationships
When we look back to the very first chapter
of the Bible we can see the origin of earthly relationships and how they
developed over time. In this series (although
there are many more) we’re going to discuss particular relationships that began
in the first week of creation. We’ll
begin with the connection between God and man.
“And Jehovah Elohim (plural Deity) formed
Man, dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and
Man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7 DARBY)
“Then Yahweh Elohim formed the man from the dust of the earth and blew
the breath of life into his nostrils. The man became a living being.” (Genesis
2:7 NOG)
Is
It Just Me?
I
don’t know if it’s the creative part of me or just strangeness, but when I
think about how God created the human race all kinds of things float into my
imagination. It’s not that I’m taking it
lightly or being flippant, but “I gotta know.”
How
many lumps of clay did He use? For
some reason I picture bread dough being formed where you add a little water in
the center to work it into the right consistency as it’s being rolled, thumped
and pounded into the desired form.
Was
God standing or kneeling on the ground forming the image after His own kind?
When His part was finished did the Holy Spirit breathe life into man like in giving CPR or just a quick puff in the nostrils?
When His part was finished did the Holy Spirit breathe life into man like in giving CPR or just a quick puff in the nostrils?
Why
did God stop at five fingers? Did six
cause God to say, “Nah that doesn’t look right”?
How
much did Adam already know when he awoke?
Was it the Frosty the Snowman wake up, “Happy Birthday”?
How
much did Adam know when he first stood on the ground from which he was formed? Was his mind like the fake Santa in
the second Santa Clause film where Curtis the elf says, “I programmed him.”?
Is
it just me or have you ever wondered any of these things as well? Please say yes …
Then God Said
We can let our imagination go wild with all sorts of scenarios
of how we “believe” man was actually formed, but the reality of it all is that
God spoke all things into existence. Every day of creation began with this
phrase: Then God said. It was the same
with mankind.
“Then God
said, “Let Us
make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of
the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, (sky and land) and
the creatures that crawl (scurry) on the earth.
So God created man in His own image, He created him in the image of God He created them male and female." (Genesis 1:26-27 HCSB)
When
God said, “Let Us make man in Our Own image,” He was talking to His Son Jesus
and the Holy Spirit Who were present when Adam was being formed.
In
His statement referring to making man in Our Own image, God didn’t mean
physical appearance as in the twin likeness one sees in a mirror, but resemblance
as in spirit, soul and body image like He is.
Jesus
had a body however it wasn’t “flesh” as we know it, but He had form. (Job 10:10-12 Message Bible). We don’t
understand this, but Jesus said that one day we will be like His resurrected
body that never dies. (1 John 3:2) His flesh body wouldn’t come until 4,000
years later when He was born through the Virgin Mary. (Luke 2)
When
the race of man was created he had a flawless spirit, soul and body that was
supposed to live forever like his creator.
Man was perfect in every way … the image of God, but not the totality of
God.
When Man Met God
The “image” was formed, a complete living being
breathing on his own – he would be called Adam, “reddish” in skin tone. His
organs, bone structure, nervous and digestive system, heartbeat and every cell
was up and running.
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." (Genesis 2L7 NKJV)
I used to wonder why God created Adam as a
full grown man, and joked that it was because He wanted to by-pass the terrible
two’s and the troublesome teens. No diaper changes or “the talks” with His kids, nope … straight to adulthood. Since God already knew man would sin you would have thought He might have passed that stage as well, right?
God’s creation of race began in adulthood around
the age of 30-33 as most scholars agree, which is in line with the age of when
Jesus would be die on the cross to save the wonderfully made Creation of God.
Man was a wonder to behold, a “hunk” in every
aspect (not a dough-boy) and he didn’t have to work out to get his lean cut
body. The first Adam’s body was constructed
with everything it would need to live eternally.
God formed man as a Divine act. He was designed or fashioned, framed as an
original creation that was pre-ordained and pre-determined at the conception
conversation and throughout the entire work until completion.
The Holy Spirit breathed, blew oxygen, literally
inflated Adam and he came to life!
It is easy to repeat the words of the
psalmist in confidence when we think on the creation of man and say:
“I will praise You, for I am
fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works, And
that my soul knows very well."
(Psalm 139:14 NKJV)
What do you picture happened when Adam first
opened his baby blues? He met GOD!
As man rose from the dust of the earth His
creator was there to guide, direct and protect him. Man’s first relationship ever was with God
Himself. It would be a metaphor of Jesus
who would later rise from the dead (ground) and ascend into Heaven resuming His
position in the Godhead.
What
was the first thing that entered Adam’s brain?
Do you think he realized how highly favored he was by God to be the
first child of the living God? There
will never be another … he was it! How wonderful was that?
Isn’t He Wonderful?
When we look back on the “wonder” of creation, what moves
our heart? Is God wonderful to us like
we are to Him? In church we sing the
old time hymn, “Isn’t He Wonderful”, but do we mean it?
Lying on the ground Adam opened his eyes for the first
time and saw “Wonderful.” That’s right,
he saw God … whose name is Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Did the later prophets, kings and worshipers of God mirror
the first words of our earthly fore-father Adam:
“You asked, ‘Who is
this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did
not understand, Things too wonderful
for me, which I did not know.”
(Job 43:3 NKJV)
(Job 43:3 NKJV)
“Many, O Lord my God, are
Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your
thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered.” (Psalm 40:5 NKJV)
“Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for
His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men.”
(Psalm 107:8 NKJV)
Could Adam comprehend or understand how wonderfully made he was? As he saw the kaleidoscope of beauty in awe
and amazement were the first words Adam spoke:
“Father, make me understand the way of Your precepts so shall I
meditate on Your wonderful
works. Such knowledge is too much for me; it is high above
my thinking abilities, I cannot attain
it.
I will praise You, for I recognize that I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and my soul knows very
well.” (Psalm 119:27; 139:6, 14 NKJV emphasis mine)
Wonderful You
Throughout the Bible we learn of how special we are to
our Creator God. He knows every intricate
thing about us including our thoughts, the number of hairs on our head and our
days that will be lived here on Earth.
When God made Adam the LORD thought of him as an individual
not just as the man who would keep things rolling. He saw Adam as someone wonderful and
fearfully made to be part of His life forever.
When God looks at you He sees you, not anyone else. Freckles
and all, you are His one of a kind, wonderfully created work and here by
design not chance.
It doesn’t matter if you were or weren’t planned by your
parents. God planned for you, and wanted to breathe life into your form as He
did that very first living soul.
You were wonderfully made in His Own image and He smiles knowing that
you were created as “very good” to behold. From the beginning God planned you to be part
of His forever and wants to be there for every part of it – from now into
eternity.
“… and lo, I am with you always, even to the
end of the age.” Amen.” (Matthew 28:20b NKJV)
Think on This Challenge:
When Adam Met God
A few weeks ago when we began this series with Before There Was You, I asked you to recall the first person
you remember having a conversation with after you were born.
The reason for that assignment was to help you with this week’s challenge.
The reason for that assignment was to help you with this week’s challenge.
What do you think Adam’s first words were to his Father,
which happened to be GOD? Talk out the
conversation with someone; it will be more interesting than you can imagine.
You have always been a part of God’s plan in relationships; Adam was the “seed”
to get you here. God loves you and there
is nothing He ever made that moves His heart like wonderfully made you!
Don’t Miss it … Coming
up … The Next Act of Favor
If this article has encouraged or helped you, please
consider sharing it by using the social media icons provided at the end of this
post.
Until next time, a
life of favor begins when you meet God!
“Hello My child, this is God.”
Jesus Christ
*Unless
noted, the names in articles are changed to protect the individual(s) privacy.
Note:
Emphasis is given in some scriptures to show clarity or understanding and is
not to take away from the inspirited Word of God.
Disclaimer:
Article information is not meant to be used as treatment for mental or physical
issues, but geared toward spiritual awareness.
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Image: Folded Hands Praying God's Calendar God Creating Man Then God Said Genesis 2:7 You Are Wonderfully Made