God's Plan for Man, I To understand God’s plan for man we have to go
back to the beginning of time. "In the beginning God created the
havens and the earth." Genesis 1:1. From this we see God’s place
in His plan.
God Owns Everything
God own everything because God created
everything. Everything in the heavens. Everything on earth. It all
belongs to God.
Is there any doubt as to why Satan has made it
one of his highest priorities to attack the revelation that God
created everything? If the heavens and the earth just came into
existence from natural processes, they don’t belong to God.
Everything material just came into being on its own. It’s all up for
grabs to any person or group who can take control of it by any means
they can. Once they get it they have the right to use it any way
they please.
We need to meditate deeply on this marvelous
creation from the smallest microbe to the greatest galaxy. When we
do, we’ll agree with David, "The heavens declare the glory
of God…" Psalms 19:1, and was enlightened to write, "The
earth is the LORD’S and all its fullness, the world, and those who
dwell therein.…" Psalms 24:1.
God also sustains everything. The New Testament
gives us this revelation, "He, (Christ) is the image of
the invisible God…by Him were all things created, that are in
heaven, and that are on earth...all things were created through Him, and
for Him...and in Him all things consist (are hold together).
Colossians 1:15-17. All things were created by Christ and for Christ
and are held together by Christ.
God Created Man To Be Managers Of His Creation.
After each of the first six acts of creation
recorded in Genesis 1, we read that God saw that it "was good." Then
God created man and we read, "And God saw all that He had made,
and behold, it was very good." 1:31. The creation of man
elevated God’s appraisal of His creation. Why? What made the
difference?
- Man was different in character. God said, "Let Us make man
in Our image according to Our likeness…" Genesis 1:26 "So
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created
him, male and female." Genesis 1:27
- Man’s job description: "Then God blessed them; and God said
to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue
it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds of the
air,
and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
Genesis 1:28.
What separates man from the creatures of the
sea, the fowls of the air, the animals of the earth and all other
living things is that man was made in the likeness of God and man
has been charged by God to be the managers of all creatures and
all things that make up the earth.
In effect, God has said to man, "I’ve
created all things and I have made you the managers. I provide the
raw materials, the resources, the scientific principles of such
things as gravity, electricity, biology, mathematics, and all
other living creatures. It’s your responsibility to manage all
these things in a way that pleases Me."
Man’s basic problem is that he keeps forgetting
that God owns everything and man is the manager. He begins to think
he is the owner and he can do whatever he pleases with anything he
controls.
I remember vividly the first home that my wife
and I owned. We were so proud of it and were really taking pride
in it. In those days it was still popular to have an attorney to
draw up what they called an abstract to verify that the deed to
the property was good. The abstract was basically a list of the
people who had previously "owned" the property. Mine went clear
back into the 1700’s. As I read about those people who thought
they owned that property the thought hit me that Jeanette and I
would be added to the list of people who think they owned it. Our
names are still on that list but we don’t own it. The fact is,
that we never did. We were just managers of property that belonged
to God..
Ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God, man has
had the problem of thinking he owns what belongs to God. After God
enabled Israel to possess the land He promised to them He set up
some thing to remind them that He was the owner and they were the
managers. See Deuteronomy 8:7-18.
There are benefits in the life to remembering
that God is the owner and we are the managers:
- Happiness will be in proportion to our faithfulness in being a
good manager.
- While we’re managing what is under our control we enjoy it
- The better we do a being faithful managers the more God trusts
us and let’s us manage more and more.
There are also some eternal benefits. What we
manage in eternity will be in proportion of how faithful we were
in being good managers on earth.
What Are We To Manage
The environment, our physical and material
possessions, things under our authority, our body, intelligence,
abilities, talents, gifts, time wealth, family, our salvation,
and the truth we know from God’s revelation.
Why did God institute tithing? Yes, it
expresses our love, gratitude and worship. It also serves as a
regular reminder that everything under our control is still
owned by God and we are the managers. See Deuteronomy 1`4:22,23.
Copyright © 2002 Thomas E Berry
All Scriptures quoted from NKJV unless otherwise noted
Copyright © 2008 Truth Helpers Inc.
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