|
Everything God Makes is Good
by Jerry Ousley I wish that I could say that everything I make is good. On the contrary, most things I have made with my hands aren't so good. Ever since I was a little kid, I've had my share of blunders. One of the first things I remember making was many, many years ago when my father still smoked. In art class we were making things with clay. I decided to make Dad an ashtray. It wasn't perfectly round and it had bumps, valleys and mountains all around it. The top edge wasn't even but, looking on the bright side, he had plenty of places to rest a burning cigarette. That was the case in many of the things I "created" over my lifetime. As an adult it didn't get much better. I decided to build a storage shed from the scraps of tin a windstorm had made from the one we bought second-handed. I had procrastinated in anchoring it to the ground and that windstorm tore it apart and scattered the remains all over our backyard. Man; and I was going to get to that the next day too! From a pile of old lumber we had gotten from somewhere I built a frame. I tried to make it straight but somehow it didn't come out that way. Then I dutifully nailed those pieces of scrap metal around my frame. It couldn't have been any more crooked if Goofy had built it. That wasn't the way I had envisioned it. A couple of years ago I build a bookcase and worktable for my office. I have to say, somehow over time I got a little better (perhaps I shouldn't be so quick to pat myself on the back; the use of a good level and measuring tape had replaced my "eyeball" method of measuring). They don't look bad, if I say so myself. But that's only because I had learned to carefully place trim work to hide all my mistakes. Believe you me, there are plenty of them. I wouldn't be too quick to brag on my handiwork to a professional carpenter! I draw up plans, plot the work in my head but somehow what looks good on paper and in my mind loses interpretation when it arrives to my hands. It really all boils down to the fact that carpentry isn't my calling. But everything God makes is good. For us, it began with the creation account as recorded in the first two chapters of Genesis. In only six days (and I believe it took place in literally six days) God made outer space, the atmosphere, the Earth, water, the sun, the moon, the stars, all life forms (which we are still discovering by the way), and mankind. Not one of those things is simply made. They are all very complex. Think of the harmony of the moving suns, planets, and other heavenly bodies as they make their orbits in outer space that took a lot of thought. Think of how intricate each life form is made, from the tiniest single-celled creature to the human body. I'd hate to think what creation would have looked like if God had assigned that task to me! It was handiwork that even God could be proud of and at the conclusion of each step He pronounced it "good." We would have bragged a little more than that calling it "exquisite" or "extremely professional," or used some other exaggerated description. It meant that God was satisfied with what He had done. It came out exactly as He had planned and intended. Then, after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, we got our hands involved in things. Now we have come up with some pretty good ideas. Our systems of communication are advanced. We've made some profound discoveries in medicine. There are those who are very talented when it comes to the arts, construction, and so forth. But we've messed things up too. Because of our "wonderful" inventions we have polluted oceans, rivers, and other waterways. We discard our trash anywhere we see fit. I'm always having to clean the ditch along the road we live on because people constantly throw items they no longer want out the windows of their vehicles as they pass by. Once I even had to clean up a table that someone dumped can you believe that? We hear a lot about global warming due to all the gases pumped into our atmosphere by our automobiles and factories. We certainly can't make the same brag about our creations that God can. Despite our sin and carelessness, we are still good. Our lives may be corrupted with sin, but because God made the provision in His own Son to clean us up, we can be free of all the pollutants in our lives. Yes, what God makes, without a doubt, is always good. Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |