Do you think of yourself as a creative person? Maybe you sew or cook, garden or build, paint or make music. These are all ways we create things of beauty, or things to use and enjoy. However, we start with fabric and ingredients, seeds and wood, canvas and instruments. We can’t make something from nothing, unlike our own Creator.

The first five words of the Bible in Genesis say “In the beginning God created”. In Hebrew, the word for create is “bara,” used only for divine design, to shape, to fashion, to create. ‘Bara’ is used three times in Genesis the first chapter. The first time is for the origin of matter, “God created the heaven and the earth.” The next is the origin of life, “God created every living creature that moveth,” and third the origin of man’s soul, “So God created man in His own image.”

Only human life, by God’s divine design and plan, has His image. It is more precious and unique compared to any other life, worthy to be nurtured and protected.

What God spoke into existence in the beginning has continued to this day. The more we learn about the universe in which we exist , the more we    marvel at the miracle of life. Amazing God that formed the planets and the stars, the seas and the mountains, also created our bodies with intricate physiology and with all the systems functioning as a whole. Our bodies move and breathe, think, see, touch and taste; performing processes every second, many of which we are not even consciously aware.

All of us have learned about the human body in school and some have gone further and studied in greater detail in preparation for a vocation. This knowledge does not prove the truth of God’s Word, but rather confirms our faith that only God’s divine design created life.

One such example is the protein laminin which is part of our extracellular matrix. Laminin are cell adhesion molecules, an integral part of the structural scaffolding of cells inside our body’s tissues and organs. Essentially it ‘glues’ one cell to the next and holds us together. Without laminin we would literally fall apart. This is amazing in itself, but then if you look at the molecular diagram of laminin – we see a     familiar shape: the shape of a cross. God’s Word tells the story of creation, of choices and the plan of redemption He had from the very beginning. Psalms 139:14 says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. In Colossians 1:14-17, it tells of creation and redemption, all part of God’s perfect plan.

The very powerful God who created us and knit us together in the womb, has that same power to redeem us and sustain us, and hold our lives together through His grace.

By R Trauger

Life is a gift that we should always view as precious. There is nothing more sad than a wasted life. By  reading God’s word we come to realize the value that God places upon each soul. We live in a time when so many simply do not value life as He does.

To understand the value of something, we often look at its cost. Our souls were so valuable that God gave His Son to buy us back from the power of the devil. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

When we think of the number of lives ended by abortion, cut short through suicide, or totally wrecked by sin, we can only imagine the God’s frustration. “Hell and destruction are before the Lord: how much more than the hearts of the children of men?” (Proverbs 15:11). These things do not go unnoticed by God. Every soul is valuable to him. In Matthew 10:31, Jesus tells us that God notices even the birds of the air by saying, “Ye are of more value than many sparrows.”

What is the measure of a life? There are many philosophies regarding how life should be spent. Some say, “You only live once! Do what feels good!” For some, this is their whole purpose. They are constantly chasing the next thrill, until they realize this never brings lasting satisfaction. Sadly, many of these lives end in depression and sometimes suicide.

Pro-choice advocates insist that life is a choice of the mother, rather than a gift from God. They feel they have the right to accept or refuse the gift of life. They view life as something a mother can choose to terminate out of convenience. So many mothers have chosen this path only to find their conscience haunts them for years.

Those who chase careers, money or fame will not find true happiness. A reckless attitude toward life is always a disgrace.

We need to look to the Word of God, rather than man’s opinion. Acts 5:29 says, “…We ought to obey God rather than men.” In Genesis 4, we see that God was very grieved and punished Cain for murdering his brother. In the book of Exodus, we read the Ten Commandments which include, “Thou shalt not kill.” No matter how you reason it, abortion is murder, and is not approved by God.

A life with heavenly purpose is the only one that will satisfy! In John 4:14, Jesus says to the woman at the well, “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” Thank God for the gift of life. Let us always view it as something precious that we dare not waste. Every soul has value. Ecclesiastes 12:14 makes plain our purpose: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

by C Karns