We are all born as a unique individual. No two people in the world are exactly alike. Not even identical twins are completely alike in their DNA makeup. Only the Master designer could create such unique individuals. God made each of us with abilities that are to be used for His glory. One day while looking across the lake I saw a Heron looking for a fish for his breakfast. This scene reminded me of how detailed our creator was when he formed every creature.
It was a cold February morning. The heron was using all the abilities God gave him to survive. The heron is a large fish-eating, wading bird, with long legs, a long S-shaped neck, and a long pointed bill. Each aspect of this bird was in use on this cold morning. He was wading in the shallow end of the lake looking for fish. If he had the leg length of most birds he would not be able to “go fishing.” His body is rather large and his wings span of 4 to 6 feet. After wading around he became perfectly still. Now, he saw his prey. At the precise moment he felt he could secure his fish, he used his long-pointed bill. Eureka! Success was achieved. He moved to the bank of the water with his fish. Now he would tear the fish into small pieces for his breakfast.
Little did he know, a large Hawk was sitting in a tree nearby watching and waiting. This powerful bird is a hunter by nature, but this time he decided to be a thief, and feed on what the heron had caught. Just as the heron lay his fish at his feet, the hawk swooped down to take it away. The quick instinct of the bird opened his large wings to protect his prey. This went on for several minutes, with the hawk swooping down as soon as the large bird retracted his wings. Finally, the heron realized if this was to be his breakfast he must pick it up with his long beak and swallow it whole! This is where the wisdom of our great Creator came to me. Everything this heron needed had been supplied by God.
We are no different. We have been created in the image of God himself. He provides us with the knowledge to protect ourselves, either by instinct or through the knowledge of others that teach us. Knowledge to sustain us here on this earth, and knowledge to grant us eternal life.
He gives some the ability to nurture others that cannot take care of themselves. We have the ability to show compassion. No other animal has that ability. He made us with an endocrine system. where glands produce hormones that control many things in our bodies. For example, the adrenal gland produces two fear hormones called adrenaline and cortisol these are released when fear is involved, they allow us to fight or flee.
He gives us a brain to problem solve, to overcome limitations that the curse of sin has brought upon us. He gives us the ability to be taught and understand His word. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that He has SET ETERNITY in the HEARTS of men, which means, we all have a yearning for some kind of god to worship, and a knowledge of an afterlife.
At one time everyone knew about the one true God. As man yielded to sin and did not follow God, knowledge was lost or greatly diminished. Yet, there is always a yearning in man for more, because we are spiritual beings. In the most remote tribal areas, you can still find evidence of the worship of some kind of god. Pagan as they may be, the desire is still there, because that is the way God made us. It’s a survival instinct that says, “there is more to life than this,” it seeks an afterlife.
Paul and Barnabas experienced this in the cities of Iconium. The people were worshiping, but they were false gods. Paul, in the name of Christ, heals a lame man and they begin to worship Paul and Barnabas. in no uncertain terms, Paul explains they are wrong, and that God left a witness for them of who the real true God is.
Act 14:15-17 “And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless, he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”
God has always made it possible for people to come back to a true knowledge of Him. Even creation is a witness of his divine nature and power. The evidence of something greater than yourself is all around you. Many missionaries have gone into tribes where they don’t know the true God, but through stories passed down, they understand there a god.
God provided the heron and the hawk with survival skills, and God has provided us with survival skills, for here and the hereafter. There is a deep yearning within us for more. Because man desired his own way, God was forgotten. Many generations have suffered and perished, but that was not God’s fault. This is why we send missionaries to areas where the true knowledge of God has been lost. God wants mankind to live with Him forever. When Jesus left to ascend back to the Father he left a command for us. A command to go and tell others and make disciples of them, so they, in turn, would go and do the same.
Romans 1:19-21 “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.“
