Your Design/Plan/Purpose People/dog watching is a rather enjoyable experience. I take my dog, Tebow, to the YMCA where he loves to bring back a dummy as many times as I throw it far out into the lake. There aren’t that many other dogs getting in the water, but there is this wonderful walking/jogging/bike riding path that goes along Brushy Creek all the way to Round Rock where many people of all physiques and appearances walk their dogs of all physiques and appearances. It really is amazing how the design of each is such that both short and tall, big and small are able to propel themselves along, utilizing completely unique dimensions and with very little mental focus or concentration. The same principles are applied, but in a way that is not just duplicated from one to the other. There are similarities of people ethnic groups and animal breeds, but there is such a variety even within these that any attempt at fully understanding all that goes into each creature’s design is more than overwhelming. With man’s design, there is a strong tendency for duplication and repetition of the some, but with our Creator, there is never an exact repeat of anything. Each one is a unique masterpiece of infinite wonder. Beyond the people/dog observation experience, though, there are another 8 million, seven hundred thousand species, according to the California Academy of Sciences, with 86% on land and 91% in the seas yet to be discovered. There are some who have given themselves to understanding these creatures, but a whole lifetime given to this quest could not begin to really tap, not only the physical design of each, but also their intended unique purpose. When considering the extent of God’s creative works, it would seem to minimize the significance of each, including all of us. However, this is where our Creator really shines. Rather than resulting in a reduction of worth, He maintains this extreme passion for, and awareness of every single one. And, as the designer, planner, and implementer of His masterpieces, He alone holds the answers of identity and purpose for each one. As the creation, with a very limited ability to understand even the smallest truth of our design, how futile it is to attempt to do so ourselves, or even go to another of His creatures for discovery. Thankfully, in Christ, we’ve been given direct access by the Holy Spirit to the truth of how we are designed, the plan for this design, and the purpose for our living. What we have in this counsel, though, is in need of steady access, along with a healthy rejection of those worldly notions of identity and meaning, however clever they may sound. We were fearfully, wonderfully, and uniquely made by Him, and from Him alone will come the answers that reveal who we really are in His eternal plan. Notes All-inclusive creative statements of our Creator Genesis 1:24-25 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth every kind of animal—cattle and reptiles and wildlife of every kind.” And so it was. 25 God made all sorts of wild animals and cattle and reptiles. And God was pleased with what he had done. Just a few – not enough Psalms 104:24 24 O Lord, what an amazing variety of all you have created! Wild and wonderful is this world you have made, while wisdom was there at your side. This world is full of so many creatures, yet each belongs to you! How many species are there? (California Academy of Sciences) Eight million, seven hundred thousand species! (Give or take 1.3 million.) That is a new, estimated total number of species on Earth—the most precise calculation ever offered—with 6.5 million species found on land and 2.2 million dwelling in the ocean depths. Until now, the number of species on Earth was said to fall somewhere within the large range of 3 and 100 million. The new study, published yesterday in the open access journal PLoS Biology, says a staggering 86% of all species on land and 91% of those in the seas have yet to be discovered, described and catalogued. Our Designer/Creator is yet passionate about each design/plan/purpose Psalms 139:13-17 13 You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb. 14 I thank you, God, for making me so mysteriously complex! Everything you do is marvelously breathtaking. It simply amazes me to think about it! How thoroughly you know me, Lord! 15 You even formed every bone in my body when you created me in the secret place, carefully, skillfully shaping me from nothing to something. 16 You saw who you created me to be before I became me! Before I’d ever seen the light of day, the number of days you planned for me were already recorded in your book. 17 (17-18) Every single moment you are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every thought! O God, your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, you’re still with me. His design is not subject to alteration or interpretation Romans 9:20 20 But who do you think you are to second-guess God? How could a human being molded out of clay say to the one who molded him, “Why in the world did you make me this way?” The world’s wisdom cannot explain our identity 1 Corinthians 1:20-21 20 So what about these wise men, these scholars, these brilliant debaters of this world’s great affairs? God has made them all look foolish and shown their wisdom to be useless nonsense. 21 For God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never find God through human brilliance, and then he stepped in and saved all those who believed his message, which the world calls foolish and silly. From Him – plans that liberate from the world’s constraints Jeremiah 29:11-14 11 For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me in earnest. 14 Yes, says the Lord, I will be found by you, and I will end your slavery and restore your fortunes; I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and bring you back home again to your own land. Our Purpose from Him – apart from our input Jeremiah 1:5-7 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then said I: "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth." 7 But the LORD said to me: "Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Coming from the world and to Him – discovery of design/plan/purpose Matthew 11:28-30 28 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. 29 Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 30 Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.” Overview: Our Creator, in the simple command of life, designed, formed, and brought to life all of animate creation. In each creature there is a unique and special masterpiece that the Father remains passionate and caring for. In His thoughts towards us, that began even before conception, there is design of form, plan for life, and purpose in living. Rather than going to the world for answered questions of identity and purpose, we’ve been given access in Christ to the One who made us. What we discover in His will for us may come with needed surrender, but it yields peace and fulfilled purpose for our life. Prayer: Oh Father God, You are so incredible in Your creative power and wisdom. I am so grateful for Your thoughts that have given me form and plans for my life. I am drawn now to Your presence to discover Your identity, plans and purpose for my life. I surrender my will to Your higher ways, and commit my heart and life to serving my eternal purpose in You. Declarations: I am a special masterpiece of the great Creator with a unique design, plan and purpose that He is still working to fulfill. In Christ I’ve been given access to His very presence, where I go to discover who I am and gain power to fulfill my plan and purpose. As I let go of the world’s blueprint for my life, I am enabled to live a joyful life of peace in the victory His wisdom enables for me. As my identity and meaning is found in His presence, I am freed from the confines of self-focus to carry the wisdom of God to others.