Seeking the Fullness of Our Creation

Blog #29 May 24,2022

As I grew in God I began to see the downside of instruction by words alone. Scrutinizing words that explain an intricate philosophy can leave us feeling confused and almost "brain-dead". It leaves us feeling that if we could just get an example or see a picture of what He is trying to explain, we would understand. God knows His children and in answer to this need He offers us examples of situations in His creation that by their nature testify of the knowledge we seek to gain. These "mind pictures" based on our knowledge of things common to this life, can open our minds and our hearts to the growth we seek. In Proverbs 30:24-28 God uses the teaching method of creating "mind-pictures" to exemplify attitudes necessary as we strive to grow closer to Him. 

Proverbs 30:24-28
30:24 There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise;
30:25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;
30:26 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;
30:27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;
30:28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palace

Effectively, none of these creatures have the ability be wise or act with wisdom, except for three things.
1.In the instance of the ants and the locust, they exhibit wisdom in their ability to act as a group to achieve a common purpose. 
2.The spider and the conies (hyraxes or rock rabbit) show wisdom in their ability to insure their survival by adapting their God given talent to any situation. They can live and thrive anywhere.
3.These four examples of God's creatures live life to the fullest measure of their creation. They are one with God and in that, God becomes the wisdom that directs them.

Understand that the four groups of creatures offer evidence of living life to the fullness of their creation, because they neither have nor need the ability to question the wisdom of God. Do the ants, or the locust work diligently as a group through a conscious decision? No more than a goose decides to travel south for the winter or salmon decide to swim upstream to spawn. They live and exist trusting God and the ways of God completely because they have no ability to question Him. In this they exist within a unity of spirit that depends on God and His ability to direct them, nourish them, and sustain them. Of all God created, only man was given the ability to ponder a situation, ask a question, and consciously make a decision. In this they also have the ability to fall short of the fullest measure of their creation. 

According to God's design, all of creation has one thing in common; the ability to testify of God, the nature of God, and the wisdom of God by the life they live and the ways that they live it.

Genesis 6:66 And, behold, all things have their likeness; and all things are created and made to bear record of me; both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath, all things bear record of me.
	
Without making any conscious effort, God's creation lives in a way that testifies of the presence of the Father, their need for that presence and His wisdom, and their acceptance of the wisdom He offers as an outpouring of love and evidence of the need within Him to care for all He created. Only humanity gave up that offering. In their decision to rebel against God they gained a full knowledge of good and evil without either the necessary depth of experience to understand, or a guide to help them through their time of growth. In this they exercised their God given ability to decide and made the choice to follow something other than a willing obedience to the true light of God. By our own decision we chose to shoulder the weight of the natural conditions present when we decided to challenge the laws of creation. Even today, if we choose to step off the roof of a five-story building in defiance of the laws of gravity, we condemn ourselves to fall, possibly to our death. Remember, the spiritual laws of God are just as absolute as the physical laws of His creation. When we choose to turn away from the true light of God we also choose condemnation.

John 3:18-22
3:18 He who believeth on him is not condemned; but he who believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed on the name of the Only Begotten Son of God, which before was preached by the mouth of the holy prophets; for they testified of me.
3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.
3:20 For every one who doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
3:21 But he who loveth truth, cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest.
3:22 And he who obeyeth the truth, the works which he doeth they are of God.

Man has chosen to be less than God had designed him to be. He chose to live a life less than the fullest measure of his creation. When man chooses to separate himself from God and the authority of God, he fails to realize that nothing can exist eternally outside of God's authority. God's authority is that of the Spirit and it is eternal. Anything less than the authority of God is both temporal and temporary. Fear and doubt are the true authority of the temporal world and they give rise to the pride that leads to the corruption of lust. To defeat man's prideful choice and the corruption within that choice became God's work and His glory. When we covenant to join God in His labor, we find purpose and a reason to seek the full measure of our creation.

DC 22:23b and there is no end to my works, neither to my words; for this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality, and eternal life of man.

This is God's plan for the redemption of man and the restoration of perfection in His holy creation. Such is our covenant with God and our need to seek for a life lived to the fullest measure of our creation.

John 3:16-17 
3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish; but have everlasting life.
3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Our salvation through the sacrifice of Christ comes in the form of a covenant with God to join Him in His work and His glory. By our choice to turn away from the lust of man, we are cleansed in the waters of baptism. By allowing the laying on of hands the mind of God within us is quickened and allowed to hasten our growth in righteousness. By humbling ourselves to His Holy Spirit we will be taught how to leave behind our life of wasted efforts and accept a fruitful life of laboring with God for the redemption of the world.  

Genesis 6:63-65
6:63 For, by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified; and by the blood ye are sanctified.

6:64 Therefore it is given to abide in you, the record of heaven, the Comforter, the peaceable things of immortal glory, the truth of all things, that which quickeneth all things which maketh alive all things, that which knoweth all things, and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice and judgment.
6:65 And now, behold, I say unto you, This is the plan of salvation unto all men, through the blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time.

Our covenant labor is to travel this path to redemption and in the process gather together with others of like mind. We are to become a people of God testifying of His wisdom by both our ability to act as a people of one purpose (as in the example of the ants and the locust), and our ability to adapt our various talents for the fulfillment of this purpose (like the spider and the conies). We still have the ability to question God, ponder His answer, and decide for ourselves what we should do. But, through Christ and the Spirit of God, we learn the proper use of this talent.

Mark 14:36-40 
14:36 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane, which was a garden; and the disciples began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy, and to complain in their hearts, wondering if this be the Messiah.
14:37 And Jesus knowing their hearts, said to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
14:38 And he taketh with him, Peter, and James, and John, and rebuked them, and said unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here and watch.
14:39 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed, that if it were possible the hour might pass from him.

14:40 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me; nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.

"Not my will, but thine": this is the very attitude of humility to God that causes us to grow in His ways. Without this willingness to serve God and His purpose completely, we will be forever lost in a fruitless effort of trying to cover our sinful self with a cloak of righteous deeds. In God, the righteousness we seek becomes the very foundation of all we are. It bubbles out from within us to become our source, our reason, and our method. It allows us to be a living testimony of both God's justice and His mercy. It allows our hands to be His and in that, His authority leads us in our temporal work of the Kingdom. 

Mark 16:16-19 
16:16 And these signs shall follow them that believe;
16:17 In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them;
16:19 They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

This is the evidence of man living to the fullness of his creation, as was God's design. It is present in Christ. It is present in Enoch (DC 36:2b-2d). It is present in Paul (Acts 28;3-6). It is present in Elisha (2 Kings 2:34-36). It can be present in us, but we must decide to allow it to happen. We must choose the ways of God and humble ourselves willingly to the Spirit within and allow it to show us how to be of God, for God, and one with God. 

Understand that what I share today is not a promise of power or the ability to magically cause good things to happen. Look to the example of the ant, the conies, the locust, and the spider. These are creatures of this world that we know of and accept as a natural part of our existence. They live to the fullness of their creation because they can live no other way. We have been blessed with the ability to choose. So, we must actively choose to allow God the same authority in or lives and we must choose it any time we can. We must realize that humbling ourselves to His Spirit is not a way to hide from the challenges of our covenant labor. It is in truth the strength we need to complete that labor and in that strength we will be prepared to contend with whatever challenge we meet in the name of God. It will cause to reach out in spite of our fear to do so. It will allow us to be bold in our testimonies, and diligent in our labors. It will allow us to love without condemnation, those who are less than they could be in God. It will allow our labor with God to be the joy we always hope it will be.

It is a good thing.
FRED