“You Matter”

“Whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world”. (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5; Yerushalmi Talmud 4:9)

Scientists say the probability of you existing at all comes out to 1 in 102,685,000  — yes, that’s a 10 followed by 2,685,000 zeroes!  The odds of you being alive are basically zero. You matter! You are a miracle.

Jewish sages embraced the importance of a human being.  They understood that life is precious and valuable as the Talmud verse above explains.  Moses records for us the miracle and mystery of Eden’s dust in the creation of Adam on “the sixth day.”

Genesis 1:1 – 25

When God created during the first five days, He said, “Let there be! [light, firmament, luminaries],” (Heb. yehi, 1:3, 6, 14).  Grammatically in the Hebrew “Let there be” expresses encouragement, or exhortation.

In other words, with great joy God urged the creation of the heavens and the earth through His spoken word, as the Heavens declare His glory, The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship (Psalm 19:1, NLT).

Genesis 2:7, Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person (NLT).

By the time, we arrive on “The Sixth Day (Genesis 1:31)” a profound change happened, “Let us make (Genesis 1:26)” which is one Hebrew word “naaseh” which expresses a command.  In contrast to the encouragement or exhortation of “Let there be.”

Here, a directive was spoken, a demand was given. With great divine power and purpose God was about to do something extraordinary – create humankind in His, “Our own image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26, NASB).  The Hebrew word “bet-zal-meinu” translated “in our image” refers to the original image or imitation.

Eden’s Dust

God spoke during the first five days, and things came into existence. However, God did not speak man into being, He, with His own hands, as it were, created Adam from the dust of the Garden of Eden, Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7a, NLT).  With great consideration, calculation, and forethought, Adam was brought into being. The involvement of Divine Providence and wisdom is beyond comprehension.

Free Will

Every human being is stamped with the image of God.

Every human being has free will.

Every human being has the free will to come to the Father through Jesus, or reject the prompting of God. This is a mystery.  We all have choices. “God created things which had free will. That means creatures which can go wrong or right (C.S. Lewis, “The Case for Christianity”).

People do make wrong decisions during times of fear and uncertainty – even Christians. As believers, we must anchor our minds and actions upon God’s word. There are days we do this better.  Good news, when we err, tomorrow God’s mercies are renewed.  We get to have a “do over.”  The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will    hope in him!” (Lamentations 3:22 – 24, NLT)

During a time of testing, remember God created you in His image. You are no mistake – God makes no mistake!

Points to Ponder:

1. With great divine power and purpose God created you. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
   Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! (Psalm 139:13 – 17, NLT).

2.  With God’s own hands He created Adam from Eden’s dust.

3. You are stamped with the image of God, So God created human beings in his own image.In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:17, NLT).

4. God thinks about you, But I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God (Psalm 40:17, NKJV).

6. God will hold your hand, walk with you and help you, For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ (Isaiah 41:13, NKJV).    If you err, you can begin again.

There are days we do this better. There are days we make right choices and there are days we do not make the right choices. Good news, when we err, tomorrow God’s mercies are renewed. The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning (Lamentations 3:22, 23, NLT).

We get to have a “do over.”   A “do over” is when we are able to start all over and begin again.

God, in His mercy, gives us the opportunity every morning to begin anew, to have a “do over.”

If you were not here, the world would not be the same. Your absence would create a huge void.  You matter! You are a miracle.

Shalom and Blessings,

Dr. Jeff

Time is short, Life is precious, and Jesus is coming soon!