Living and Walking in God's Principles
Introduction
Is man a particle of nature or the crown of creation?
I am glad to return to the
regular schedule of blog entries that you can expect approximately every weeks.
From Today I’m introducing a new series entitled, “Management and leadership
Principles.” Our decision to resist Evil and temptation shows the power
of living by Biblical principles. My childhood, I had been taught by my parents
that “A man reaps what he sows." (Galatians 6:7). I can still remember my
mother warning me about my choices in life and advising me to trust God rather
than lean on my own solutions and strategies for handling life. Those
principles helped me to trust God and realize that the quality of the
life is determined by the quality of the choices. One of the most beautiful
things about life is you can make your life better and influential by your
right choice. No matter what situation you are in, you have a choice. No matter
how bad things are, you have a choice. No matter what you think you can or
cannot do, you have a choice. Your decision and disciplines will determine your
destination.
Over the decades working with many clergies, churches,
leaders, and managers/supervisors at all levels across various states of India,
I’m reminded that we are the sum total of all the people we have known, met and
learned from. This piece of writing is the result of countless individuals
whose thoughts, ideas, perspectives and work have given me the exposure to the values
and principles I have placed in this article. First let’s take a moment and establish the
context for this series. Every sound successful management principle used in
this world is based on a Biblical principle. We should recognize the fact, that
God, who created the universe and the world in it, is using a set of principles
to manage and govern the whole universe.
Is man a piece of nature or the crown of creation? Or is he
both? Modern science has pushed him to the edge of the universe, reducing him
to a tiny point on a tiny planet. In both the Old and New Testaments there is
agreement: man was created, and he was created by God. And all the texts imply
that the creation of man was an act, an act that was completed at a point in
time; there is no intimation of a process involving unlimited time that allowed
man to evolve from stage to stage. This means that man exists because of
purpose, God’s purpose. God is one, infinite, all in all and over all, and the
entire universe is unified in God consciousness. God has a long term and short
term plan so far as the world and the people in it are concerned. Thus man’s
place in the cosmos is not the result of blind chance or some impersonal power;
man exists because God created him and had a purpose in creating him. This in
itself gives man profound significance. In other words management is God’s
motivation to create mankind. God will not allow rain and growth where there is
no man to manage the ground. Bible says
“Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and
no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not caused it to
rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.”(Genesis
2:5) The first management principle God assign to man is mention
in Genesis 1:28 “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, (productive) and multiply,(reproduce )and replenish
(distribute/fill)the earth, and subdue
(Discipline/control) it: and have dominion
(leadership/ /management)over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the
air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”(KJV)
Therefore Man is God’s glory because he shows forth God’s delegated
authority over all creation. Man is therefore the crown of creation and shines
forth the image and glory of God in a way no other creature does. Man is the
Crown of Creation because he is the only created thing made in the “image” and
“likeness” of God and, therefore, uniquely distinct in his existence. No other
creature is like man; he is one of a kind. Only man has been “crowned with
glory and honor” (Ps. 8:5). Out of all of creation, man is most like God.
From this we have to recognize the fact that our God always
has a purpose and a perfect plan, an organization to execute it. The earthly
and the heavenly creatures have been created and entrusted with some
responsibility to ensure that God’s perfect purpose and plan is executed
eventually, to execute his judgment by rewarding the good and punishing the
evil and the disobedient.
All the news that is flashing in front of the very
eyes of the people today, and reported in details in the news media, proves
beyond any shadow of a doubt that our God is a manager of the whole universe
and nothing can escape from the knowledge and control of God. Therefore, we
should realize that when we diligently study the bible, the Word of God, we can
also know the truth. When we follow the truth, we can escape God’s wrath and
punishment for our evil acts and inherit the kingdom of God and live in peace
in the presence of God forever. When we manage the affairs of this world
according to the laws and the principles of God, we can maintain harmony and
peace in this world and there will be justice, order, peace and abundance of
supplies for all the needs of every living creature, particularly human beings,
who have been created as the children of God. It is therefore necessary that we
recognize all the management principles of God himself, and submit ourselves to
God’s law and live according to his teachings and laws.
To be continued…………