MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL:

When God breathed His breath into Adam he gave him an inner being that would live eternally. He also gave man the choice of where his soul will spend eternity.

Genesis 2:7. “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.”

The soul of man is the only thing that we have been studying about in the story of creation that will last eternally. The Bible talks about a day when, “the stars will fall from heaven,” and also a day when, “the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements (atoms) will melt with fervent heat, and the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). The soul of man will endure the conflagration that will completely annihilate observable creation. Only the unseen world, the heavenly world, will remain.

Jesus tells us how important the soul of man is and the value of redeeming it. “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). The Psalmist says, “For the redemption of their soul is precious..” (Psalms 49:8) He also says, “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me.” (Psalms 49:15). In the light of what we have read let us make an all out effort to save our soul. The soul is the spiritual part of man; it is given by God to everyone born into this world and returns to God who gave it when we die (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

Paul’s prayer for the Church at Thessalonica seems to recognize the fact that man is composed of three parts, Spirit, Soul, and Body. “I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). At the second coming of the Lord the soul will be reunited with a spiritual body at the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:5-54); (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). God designed the three parts of man, Spirit (mind, mental), Soul, (spiritual), and Body (physical), to live in harmony.

If too much attention is given to the mental and physical part to the neglect of the spiritual part, there is disharmony which leads to emotional and mental problems. To have full and complete harmony in our lives we must invite God into His rightful place in our life.

God completed the environment with the creation of man, who not only reflected His image but who, praise God, also received His blessing.

MAN RECEIVED GOD’S BLESSING:

Genesis 1:28. “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

The blessings of God are His benefits. One of the questions you ask a new boss is what benefits you could expect as an employee of the company. You want to know if you would have moving expenses, housing allowance, health insurance, and transportation in your annual salary package. When considering a job, the benefits can induce us to make a long-term commitment while the lack of benefits can keep us from such a commitment.

Once man was created, he was committed for the long term. And the Creator, in His grace, showered the man with benefits that would make his commitment to life a joy and pleasure: “God blessed them.” Every day the man would be excited to wake up, eager to go to work, rejoicing in who he was and the opportunities he had during the day, sleeping peacefully at night in harmony with the world around him because he was blessed by His Creator. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow! (James 1:17)

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, and see what God hath done!

Count your blessings, Count them one by one.

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

I am: Accepted by God, Beloved by God, Chosen by God, Delivered by God.

By, James L. Thornton

www.Godsgrazingfield.net