God’s Prized Possession

 

 

Genesis chapter 1 verse 16

Tells the position of the earth,

Not geographically speaking

But to God, how much it is worth.

 

The Psalmist confirms this

In a very pronounced statement:

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof”

Is a declaration of God’s intent.

 

The earth is the center of the universe

Has been the argument of some,

Others have denied this vehemently

And on and on the argument runs.

 

That is neither here nor there

Particularly in the light of this verse,

Certainly, it is God’s central interest

When compared to the whole universe.

 

What gives me the right to say this?

How can we really tell?

Study the words of the scriptural reference

And watch how the evidence gels.

 

 

“Let there be light” has already passed

Now we come to the two great lights,

The sun was created to rule the day

And the moon to rule the night.

 

And then as though it were an afterthought

God made the stars also,

But God is not a God of afterthought

There is nothing He doesn’t know.

 

The sun and moon watch over the earth

None of the other stars does this,

God has a special purpose for planet earth

A purpose that many have missed.

  

Let there be lights in the firmament

God said, to divide the day from the night,

And let them be for signs and for seasons

And for getting the days and years aright.

 

 

Nowhere else in God’s Word

Is another planet given such care,

This is clear, given what eventually happened,

In that God sent His begotten Son here.

 

Unlike any other planet or star,

The earth definitely holds a central place,

And God demonstrated this by sending His Son

As an expression of His wonderful grace.

 

A habitat for His premier creation

The earth is God’s prized possession,

Therein lives His chosen generation

To be found throughout the nations.

 

We can search the entire universe

And we will not find another race,

Except in heaven where there are the angels

That occupy a special place.

 

I may be sticking my neck out,

And you may argue I really don’t know,

But the value of this earth to Almighty God

Is in the demonstration His Son showed.

 

For what does it matter

If a man gains the whole world and loses his soul?

Jesus came down from heaven to earth

To make earthlings like you and me whole.

 

The earth that ultimately matters

Is the people of the earth,

Particularly them that are born again

Them that have experienced the new birth.

 

Stewart Russell © April 2020

 

The Law and the Life

 

 

The law said I must die

For the wages of sin is death

Jesus died that I might have life

Life in abundance and spiritual health

 

The law was my schoolmaster

That pointed out all my sin

Jesus was the teacher

That cleansed my soul within

 

The law was a mission impossible

I could never ever achieve

Jesus accomplished that mission

From its task I’ve been relieved

 

The law could show me my sin

But could not help me avoid it

Jesus filled my heart

And righteousness became my habit

 

The law was bent on punishment

For all that disobeyed

Jesus showed me forgiveness

And leads along life’s way

 

The law was an ancient document

Written on tablets of stone

Jesus is the law of my heart

For my soul his blood atoned

 

 

The law was to bring me to Christ

He is the Saviour of the World

Jesus is the only Saviour

And I take him at his word

 

The law could not sympathise

Every time I had fallen short

Jesus knows my every weakness

And me he calmly exhorts

 

The law was unable to save

Even though some in it did boast

Jesus is my eternal solution

And he saved me to the uttermost

 

The law could never satisfy

Even though frequently repeated

Jesus satisfies my every need

And for me that matter is completed

 

The law was unable to secure

My place in the heavenly throng

Jesus wrote my name in heaven’s book

After forgiving all my wrong

 

 

The law was merely a shadow

Just a sign of those things to come

Jesus became the fulfillment

And my entry to the heavenly kingdom

 

The law was just a type

It was not the end all of God’s dealing

Jesus is the only prototype

My salvation in the Christ revealing

 

The law dealt out death

But yet pointed me to the Life

Who for all of time eliminated death

Through his once for all sacrifice.

 

Stewart Russell © June 23, 2022

 

Valuable, Valued and Vital

So much of life is and so much is not

Valuable, valued and vital

And often these three are confused

By not a few but by many people.

Let’s start with the valuable

Those things by which we set store,

There is much confusion here

And we will see this more and more.

Of course most will agree

That the considered valuable is truly valued

The second is determined by the first

And for most that’s the essential view.

How much something means to one

Then becomes the overarching issue,

If one considers that thing truly valuable

Then that thing will be greatly valued.

If we do not consider it to be valuable

Then to us it has little value

And therefore that particular item

Will have little value for me or for you.

Now here is where it gets dicey

Regarding the valuable and valued,

Remember to different people this varies

Depending on a person’s view.

What one person considers to be a valuable

Another person might disagree,

They both might possess the same thing

But the considered value would vary.

This occurs with material possessions

Like the computer, house and motorcar,

These for some are but utilities

But with others they can go very far.

I don’t want to belabour the point

But I trust you see where I am going,

Depending on how much one values a thing

That’s where his focus will be showing.

For him that is what is vital

To him that is what demands his time

To that he will give the utmost care

It matters not what another opines.

So far the valuable determines the valued

And the valued becomes what is vital

But sometimes this manner of association

Can become a vicious cycle.

This has to do with one’s outlook

Or perhaps what we want in life

And often puts our wants above our needs

And this brings about the world of strife.

A feast is made for laughter

And wine maketh merry,

According to Ecclesiastes 10 verse 19

The answer to all things is money.

As such the valuable is reckoned in money

And money resonates with the valued,

These two are seen as synonymous

And presto! There is your worldview.

The fallout becomes the disaster

For life means getting money at all costs,

Money is therefore the vital prerequisite

And without its abundance life is lost.

But the writer of Ecclesiastes 10 verse 19

Had much reason to lament

And in Ecclesiastes chapter 1 and verse 2

A contrasting admonition was sent.

The interesting part of all this

Is in this book the latter precedes the former,

Even in the mind of a mathematics dunce

Chapter one would be first in the natural order.

But this verse also conveys another point

Here the wise man is in his right mind

And perhaps with all that he had experienced

This is what he had to opined.

This bring us right back to the title

Valuable, valued and vital

For though Solomon was the wisest of men

To him this became a vicious cycle.

Although starting out on the right path

His life went right down to the pits,

Wrong focused relating to this title

He found himself in an inevitable fix.

His abundance of wealth occasioned for him

Whatever his heart had desired,

What he valued and practised as vital in life

Took him to the immoral muck and mire.

This is, however, instructive for us

Regarding our valuable, valued and vital,

If we value the temporal above the eternal

We become a people most miserable.

For our souls can never be satisfied

By the material things of this world,

Money is to be valued as a servant not the master

We should take note of God’s Holy Word.

We should consider as valuable, valued and vital

Things that are true and honest and pure,

Things that are of good report and lovely

Are those things we should value more.

These qualities are vital for living

They determine our valuables and values,

Only Christ can satisfy a man’s soul

He should be our life’s most vital issue.

Stewart Russell © November 2017