We Are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

He leads me …

We Are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

 Psalm 139:13-14 (NKJV)

13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

We do not have to look far into nature to see the beauty that God has created. We see it in the bird life around us. Like the colours of the kingfisher, or the ducks. Or it could be the dawn chorus as the birds get ready for the new day.

 Then there is the pleasant and relaxing experience sitting beside a stream gently flowing past. Or watching the waves as they crash and roll onto the beach.

 But just as God is doing a beautiful work in nature, He is doing a beautiful work in us as well. 

 People who are not Christians call it various names or phrases like – irritating, teasing, getting under your skin and getting on your nerves. It can also be called - going through a lot, facing difficulties, struggling and having a hard time.

 As Christians we call it sanctification.

 You might say, ‘Hang on. How can all this negative stuff be beautiful?’

 The thing is that the Lord uses all these things as sandpaper or as a grinder to take the rough stuff off our lives to allow the good things to shine through.

 However, it does depend on us. Do we allow the Lord to have His way, or do we resist and end up being bitter or angry about something that happened to us in the past. Maybe we will not do the right thing and take responsibility for the wrong decision or the personal comment that really hurt the other person, and try to make the situation better.

 Forgiveness is a big one. Sometimes the initial act is so serious that the victim cannot find a way to forgive the offender. The problem with this is that the victim can continually carry anger and bitterness, and it stops a lot of the good in that person’s life from shining through.

 If the victim is eventually able to forgive the offender then they will find that the stress that goes with their negative feelings will lift off their shoulders, and they will finally have a real sense of relief.

 What we see in this is that the process takes time. Often longer that we would like.

 The Bible says – 

 Ecclesiastes 3:11a (NKJV)

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. 

Notice that there is nothing here that refers to followers of God or the Israelites, It says that God has made everythingbeautiful in its time. That means all people. Those who are, and who are not, Christians.

 Adam Clarke in his biblical commentary on this verse says –

 Beautiful in his time - God's works are well done; there are order, harmony, and beauty in them all. Even the caterpillar is a finished beauty in all the changes through which it passes. Nothing of this kind can be said of the works of man.

 We see what God can do with mankind when as Christians we see the fruit of the Spirit being noticeable in a person’s life. 

 So, what are we looking for?

 Galatians 5:22-25 (NKJV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is 

Love - This is the unconditional love for God and your neighbour. It means to love without expecting anything in return.

Joy - This is the lasting happiness that can only come from placing God at the centre of our lives.

Peace - This is the security and calmness we gain from truly trusting God to provide for our every need.

Longsuffering - (patience) - This allows us to have compassion for others in spite of their flaws and weaknesses.

Kindness - This is to have a heart that is willing to do acts of compassion and to give to others far more than what we feel we owe them.

Goodness - This is the continuous desire to do good and to choose God’s will over the earthly desires.

Faithfulness - This is at the centre of Christianity. It is to live life according to the will of God and knowing that God is the master of our life.

Gentleness - This means to choose to be mild in behaviour. To respond with meekness, forgiveness, and grace when provoked. To respond with peace rather than with revenge.

Self-control - It doesn’t mean to deny ourselves from what we want or need, but to practice moderation in everything we do.[1]

 Think of the people who you know who have any of these attributes. You might be surprised that some of them are not Christians, and while they may not have acknowledged the Lord in their lives, they made the right decisions going through life, and are not holding on to any resentment or hostility toward anyone.

 They share with the Christians who the Lord has been working with, the same outlook on life. They do not have a point to prove, and they are genuinely interested in other people. They are content with what they have, and will do what they can to help others without any personal gain for themselves.

 In other words, they are beautiful people to be around. Their beauty is not what they look like. It is in their character and how they live.

 If we are allowing Him to work in our lives, the Holy Spirit is achieving the same result with us. We often will not see the changes until we look back over the last few years and look at what we used to be like and what we are like now. We are a little older and a little wiser, and better people as a result.

[1] https://lovingwithallmyheartandsoul.com/twelve-fruits-of-the-holy-spirit/