A Hand Made Gift
May 2008
Read: Genesis 1:1-26, Genesis 2:4-7
Journal Questions:
1) Before you even read the scriptures, what questions do you have about how things were created?
What do you believe and why?
2) What questions do these verses create for you? What answers do they give to you?
3) What strikes you the most about these verses? How do they make you feel or think?
4) What strikes you the most about how God creates man? How does it make you feel about how
God views you?
Devotional Thought:
Have you ever heard someone say that the best presents are handmade? You know what I mean right - things that you take the time to make yourself are just more special than things that are bought at the store. Why is that?
My house and office are full of gifts that people have given me. Some are bought, and of those, I can remember who gave me those and for what reason in very few instances. But many of them are cards that have been hand-written to me, picture collages that have been created, pictures that have been drawn -- and in EVERY instance I can recall who made it, when they gave it to me, and why.
To me it is because it means the person making the gift has taken time out of their busy life to slow down and think about you - and they are thinking about you the whole time they make the gift. Even more than that, they are giving you their talent, their time, their energy -- in essence, in making you a gift by hand they are giving you a piece of themselves.
I love reading through the creation story and creating a picture in my head. If you ever get the time, read "The Magician's Nephew" by C.S. Lewis and focus in on the chapter where Narnia is created -- it really helped me to picture the power of God creating.
Just picture it - God walking in the midst of nothingness and He speaks - and when he speaks things begin to happen. Waters form and the seas fill, land rises and mountains form, winds blow, the sun and moon rise and fall, the stars pop out one at a time and fill the sky. He speaks and plants and trees shoot out of the freshly made ground. He calls forth and birds, fish, and animals off all shapes and sizes begin the fill the land, seas, and skies.
All of it created with just His words.
But then God does something different. He stops walking and bends down to grab a handful of the infant soil. And from this dirt and clay he begins to form the greatest sculpture ever. In no time at all a lifeless statue stands before him, perfect in every way, but still and lifeless. Then God cups his hands over the nose of the statue and just begins to breath.
As soon as the breath of God fills the nostrils of the lifeless form, the heart begins to pump, blood begins to flow, the brain begins to fire. Suddenly the statue shakes as the lungs of this new creation rise and fall - it's very first breath coming from God Himself.
And God creates man.
He spoke words to create water, earth, and sky.
He spoke words to create plants and animals.
But for us, He knelt down and formed us with His hands.
But for us, He breathed His own life into us.
Think about that... we are God's handmade gift. He has invested His time and talent into you and me. He has given us a piece of His life.
Think of that the next time you feel insignificant and worthless. Think of that the next time you feel broken and unsure. Think of that the next time you feel unloved and alone. Think of that when your self-esteem is gone.
You were created by God and He sees you as perfect.
What will you do with that handmade gift? Or better yet, what will that handmade gift do IN you?
May 2008
Read: Genesis 1:1-26, Genesis 2:4-7
Journal Questions:
1) Before you even read the scriptures, what questions do you have about how things were created?
What do you believe and why?
2) What questions do these verses create for you? What answers do they give to you?
3) What strikes you the most about these verses? How do they make you feel or think?
4) What strikes you the most about how God creates man? How does it make you feel about how
God views you?
Devotional Thought:
Have you ever heard someone say that the best presents are handmade? You know what I mean right - things that you take the time to make yourself are just more special than things that are bought at the store. Why is that?
My house and office are full of gifts that people have given me. Some are bought, and of those, I can remember who gave me those and for what reason in very few instances. But many of them are cards that have been hand-written to me, picture collages that have been created, pictures that have been drawn -- and in EVERY instance I can recall who made it, when they gave it to me, and why.
To me it is because it means the person making the gift has taken time out of their busy life to slow down and think about you - and they are thinking about you the whole time they make the gift. Even more than that, they are giving you their talent, their time, their energy -- in essence, in making you a gift by hand they are giving you a piece of themselves.
I love reading through the creation story and creating a picture in my head. If you ever get the time, read "The Magician's Nephew" by C.S. Lewis and focus in on the chapter where Narnia is created -- it really helped me to picture the power of God creating.
Just picture it - God walking in the midst of nothingness and He speaks - and when he speaks things begin to happen. Waters form and the seas fill, land rises and mountains form, winds blow, the sun and moon rise and fall, the stars pop out one at a time and fill the sky. He speaks and plants and trees shoot out of the freshly made ground. He calls forth and birds, fish, and animals off all shapes and sizes begin the fill the land, seas, and skies.
All of it created with just His words.
But then God does something different. He stops walking and bends down to grab a handful of the infant soil. And from this dirt and clay he begins to form the greatest sculpture ever. In no time at all a lifeless statue stands before him, perfect in every way, but still and lifeless. Then God cups his hands over the nose of the statue and just begins to breath.
As soon as the breath of God fills the nostrils of the lifeless form, the heart begins to pump, blood begins to flow, the brain begins to fire. Suddenly the statue shakes as the lungs of this new creation rise and fall - it's very first breath coming from God Himself.
And God creates man.
He spoke words to create water, earth, and sky.
He spoke words to create plants and animals.
But for us, He knelt down and formed us with His hands.
But for us, He breathed His own life into us.
Think about that... we are God's handmade gift. He has invested His time and talent into you and me. He has given us a piece of His life.
Think of that the next time you feel insignificant and worthless. Think of that the next time you feel broken and unsure. Think of that the next time you feel unloved and alone. Think of that when your self-esteem is gone.
You were created by God and He sees you as perfect.
What will you do with that handmade gift? Or better yet, what will that handmade gift do IN you?
Good Samaritan Church of the Nazarene - 1701 St. Louis Road - Collinsville, IL 62234 - (618)345-1661
contact us via email
Copyright 2008 - Flipside Student Ministries
Produced by - LionSong Media
contact us via email
Copyright 2008 - Flipside Student Ministries
Produced by - LionSong Media