“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens."
Psalm 8:1
Happy New Year!
As we begin another year, it is time again for a spiritual checkup. I want to challenge you again to answer this rhetorical question at the beginning of each year: Am I closer to the Lord right now than I was at the beginning of last year?
I think this is a great question to ask ourselves as we start each new year.
What is your answer?
Only you and the Lord know - the why and why not that goes with it. Are you trying to make excuses, or are you enjoying the sweet fellowship from your spiritual growth?
The Psalm 8 Assessment
As we assess our annual spiritual journey, let us use Psalm 8 as a focal point to launch our desire to grow even closer to the Lord this year. The Psalmist David begins and ends this hymn of praise with
“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name on all the earth!” This should cause us to look up to God “above the heavens” in praise and recognize his glory as we see “the moon and the stars” (v.3).
From there, the Psalmist looks down and asks the question “what is man that you are mindful of him, and...that you care for him?” (v.4).
Wow! David helps us realize that when we see God the Creator and the “work of his fingers” (v.3), we must wonder - what is so great about us as part of the creation that he even gives thought to us? How humbling that should be! This psalm continues to show our role in creation and the privileged place we have as stewards having “dominion” over his creation (vv.6-8).
What Is So Great About Mankind?
In the New Testament we see the answer to David’s question. The answer to “what is so great about mankind?” Is the Man Jesus Christ. Jesus is the ideal man and our model.
This was all God’s plan from the beginning. God created us to enjoy all his creation, but most importantly, to enjoy the eternal fellowship with him because of the sacrifice of Jesus who was “crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death” (Heb. 2:9).
Have a Genuine Year!
Let’s begin this new year with a genuine “FAITH” assessment. As we echo David’s call to worship - to look up and to look down, the question remains: Are we growing in our relationship with the Creator?
Jeff Riddle
MD5 Facilitator
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