My Hand

Posted on Jun 6, 2021 in Uncategorized | Tags: , ,

By: Lee Pierce
 
Just sitting there quietly, I happened to look at my hand. As I studied it and thought of how well it has served me over the years, I began to marvel at its capabilities. Consider that a hand can do very small, precise things like pick up a small screw off a work bench. Conversely, that same hand can wield an axe to fell a large tree, or run a powerful jack hammer to break up concrete, or, in concert with our amazing eyes, can swing a bat and drive a baseball over 400 feet for a home run!

Most tools and other functional objects I use to equip me for life are intended for one purpose. Whether it’s a hammer, a screw driver, or a laptop computer, they’re intended to do one thing—not so the hand!

 As I sat there contemplating my hand and its amazing versatility, it occurred to me that my hand is just one component of an overall incredible construct: the human body. Prepare to be in awe when you take the time to consider other amazing body parts. Consider the functionality of your eye, for example. Or the constant pounding sustained by your feet, or your heart that faithfully beats a few billion times over a typical lifetime—Of all that God has created, mankind has to be the epitome of God’s great artistry, created in His own image [Gen 1:27] and He called it “very good.” [Gen 1:31]

 As I thought about my amazing body and how creative, wise, and artistic God is, another thought occurred to me. The Bible says in Romans [Rom 1:19-20] that we know intuitively that God made all of creation and, as it goes on to say, we are fools if we deny that and fail to honor Him.

 That led me to another associated thought: if we look around us, we have to conclude that a very powerful Being (and artistic being, we call Him God) created all that we see.  Yet, as it occurred to me, we would know virtually nothing about God except what He has created and that which we can see with our eyes. So how did our knowledge increase: He told us!

 Yes, what a wonderful gift is the Bible, the Word of God. Without it we would not know the name of God (or that of His Son). But, with the Bible in our hands, we can read words that came forth from the very mouth of God Himself! And stories of His interactions with men and women just like us. Not to mention the works of His Son on our behalf to buy our freedom from sin and death! God gave us His Word just so we could know Him so much better.

 I can only conclude that He must love us a lot given His efforts in creating me and you, and in His work to give us the Book that tells us all we need to know about Him. I hope you read it often!


ARE WE ALL THE SAME? YES AND NO

Posted on Jun 3, 2021 in Forgiven- A Daily Devotion | Tags: , , , , ,

By: Lee Pierce
 
I was at the grocery store shortly before the Super Bowl game on Sunday, and it was a perfect mad house! Grocery carts everywhere and one could hardly navigate down the aisles because there was so much traffic. And, of course, everyone was in a complete hurry! People were running their carts into other people and their carts. I was not in so much of a hurry, so it was fairly easy for me to stay out of most people’s way, most of the time.

As I navigated my way through the store, I just casually looked around at all the people in this bustling crowd. What a significant assortment of people. If people-watching is of interest (it’s a hobby of mine), there was plenty of material to work with there. That’s when I had the thought that, in this amazing mixture of people of assorted sizes, ages, ethnic origins, and varied temperaments (some people handle being in a crowded, busy store better than others, I must say), God made every single one of these folks… and not one looks like any of the others!

God, in His awesome power and artistry, made us all alike—when you look at a person you know immediately that you’re gazing at a human being, not a horse or a dog. Yet, every one of those people is unique in untold ways. Further, while there may have been literally hundreds of people navigating the store aisles, if a friend or acquaintance appears, you recognize them almost immediately.  

As I contemplated that thought, I admit to being amazed that God could take a very similar structure, such as that of the typical human being, and make their face so unique. Forget height, weight, voice quality, skin color, hair color, etc. Just their face alone is enough to make nearly everyone unique and identifiable (I certainly allow for the fact that there are people who look very much like someone else somewhere, but in the main, in a random group of 100 people, typically every single one of them is differentiated).

So people are special, as we are made by God alone [Gen 2:7]  and in His image [Gen 1:27] to rule over all of the beasts, the fish in the sea, and birds of the air [Gen 1:28]. And, even in those cases where two people look very much alike, there typically still are many differentiating features between them, such as height, voice quality, etc.  And God clearly puts great stock in the life and importance of each individual person: “Whoever sheds man’s blood…his blood shall be shed. For in the image of God He made man.” [Gen 9:6]

And so? If one chooses to take a cavalier attitude toward our experiences, one might end up saying, “If you’ve seen one mountain, lake, ocean, cloud in the sky, you’ve seen them all; they all look mostly alike in many ways.” In one sense that attitude would be somewhat correct, if not maybe a little shallow. Of course, in reality, each mountain you witness is a different experience, often encountered with different people.

But, I find it fascinating that God goes to the trouble to make us each highly unique. Every single person I know or meet is wholly one-of-a-kind. Their facial features, build, voice, approach to life and what they love and value. All those things taken together that make them an individual. Yet God made, knows, and loves each one of them…and can have a unique, one-on-one relationship with each single person. If you stand in awe as you look up at the starry night sky, try simply looking around yourself at all the artistry exhibited by God in each and every person. Everything and everyone that God touches is so unique and special—and so are you!