Thursday, July 11, 2013

Meditations On The 4th Of July -- Life



     Our Declaration of Independence here in the USA states that humans are, by virtue of their creation by God, endowed with certain rights.  Not all are listed, but 3 are.  1) Life, 2) Liberty, and 3) The Pursuit of Happiness.  Today we are going to share some thoughts on the first of our God given rights - Life.
     Life is given by God.  We are created by God, our life is sustained by the power of God.  No human has the power to give life and therefore do not have any innate right to take away life.  We do not originate ourselves, and  should therefore recognize our dependence on that Power outside of ourselves.  The Bible is filled with references to this fact:
     "Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and we are his"  (Psalm 100:3)     
     "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 soul."  (Genesis 2:7)
     Life is a mystery.  This ability to know, think, do, grow and remember, comes from the One God Who gives life.  From that moment on we are completely dependent on Him.  Therefore it is essential that we do all we can to find out how God, our Creator and Sustainer expects us to use this marvelous gift.  Too often we think  "this is my life", and  "I'll do it my way".  But it is God's life, given to me so I can share in His infinite love and happiness. 
     However, just because I was given a gift, and therefore it is by rights mine, there are conditions as to its continuance.  Life can only exist under certain conditions.  Since God is the source of life, it can only continue when it is in harmony with Him.  The rules of life are not arbitrary, neither are they unknowable.  They are not something to be guessed at or found out by trial and error.  God's life, and His rules for life, are set in stone.  They are immutable.  They are simple, direct, and easy to understand.  Read them in Exodus 20, then see how they were lived in practical human life in the life of Jesus Christ.

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