The Messenger September 2009

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September 2009 Issue

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There are four things, according to Proverbs 30:15, 16 which are never satisfied. The grave, the barren womb, the parched earth, and fire. Every week the newspapers still have obituaries -- the graves are not all filled, the childless woman is still yearning for a child of her own, you can water and water your lawn and gardens in time of drought and it does not seem to be enough. You can keep feeding a fire with more and more fuel and it will eagerly keep devouring without a sign of having sufficient.

The heart of man is a being with a similarly insatiable appetite. Man constantly tries to find meaning and purpose in life by constantly pursuing more and more of what this life has to offer. Few are satisfied with the possessions and living standards they have. They seek to gain more of this world's goods. More things to fill the garage and basement, upgraded technology, higher pay, bigger houses and more expensive vehicles. Furthermore, people seek greater financial securities through life insurances, pensions and stocks. There is also an unending quest for joy and happiness through the pleasures of life in vacations, golf courses, arenas, bars and more. Others are not satisfied with their own marriage relationships and seek the thrill of extramarital affairs. The list could go on and on with the many pursuits of man that do not bring any lasting satisfaction.

Underlying all of these quests for something that satisfies is the fact that man has an empty God-shaped void in his heart. Until we have a relationship with our heavenly Father and Creator we will fail to find true meaning and satisfaction in life. There will continue to be a restless yearning within to understand ourselves and our destiny.

The Lord Jesus Christ has made provision for those empty, unfulfilled feelings. Through His blood the guilt of sin can be removed. By the Word of God we can understand the purpose of life and our future destiny. By God's Spirit within we can possess true peace in our hearts, so that we can be truly content in whatever circumstances come our way. To be surrendered to God's will for our lives and to trust in His providence for our lives will provide rest for the soul. To be complete in Christ will result in a satisfaction now in life and throughout our eternal destiny.

-- Paul Zehr, Bayfield, Ontario

                The phrase Imago Dei is Latin for Image of God, and speaks of the Christian doctrine which asserts that human beings are created in God's image and therefore have inherent value.

                I believe this principle is a very vital one for people today to remember and embrace. We live in an age when technology and science have assumed the appearance of a god-like spectre over the doings of mankind. When everyone is going agog over Google, (Google knows everything, a man told me recently), then it just may be time to pause and consider just where were heading with our values and focus.

                Mankind is neither all-knowing nor all-powerful and neither are any of his programs or accomplishments. However, we recognize that mankind has been created by God in heaven who truly is all-knowing and all-powerful and has been given a measure of His image.

                Understanding that every human being is created in the Imago Dei, bestows each person with dignity a dignity that is theirs by virtue of Imago Dei and is not dependent upon their quality of life, nor their contribution to society.

                There is ample evidence in history how a false worldview in regard to the worth of human beings can run terribly wrong. During the 1930s there were those in America who watched with interest as Germany introduced their eugenics program, which imposed sterilisation upon unfit people in order to purify the race. However, by the time the story ended, it was not only 200,000 allegedly inferior citizens that would not have children, but by the end of the Second World War, likely over 140,000 mentally ill and handicapped people had been killed in the name of eugenics. 1

                This is history. And it is what happens when man forgets the God-established principle of Imago Dei. We have been created in the image of God, by the hand of God Himself. Man is not the result of some cosmic accident, but the purposeful result of the choice of Divinity. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). 

                That man became a living soul indicates how God put something of Himself into man. Mankind has life in a way that no other living creature on earth does. Beyond that, God bestowed His special love upon humankind whom He first created, and then redeemed. 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:16, 17). 

                The Christian worldview teaches that humans are made in the image of God. The life of each person has worth in the eyes of God. Thoughtful people will recognize that from conception to natural death, life is sacred. To decide otherwise is to start down a slippery path that has no convenient stopping place. Those who don't believe this need only look to history for evidence.

                Mervin Brubacher, 

                Barwick, ON

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                1. Source: "Perfect People-Perfect Country", by Allan Levine, in "The Beaver, Canada's History Magazine" April 2005.