A friend of mine from work recently posted a quote on my wall in Facebook which said “Be humble for you are made of earth. Be noble for you are made of stars. A Serbian Proverb” I was fascinated by that quote, and as I prayerfully considered my response, the Holy Spirit brought to mind a song by Joni Mitchell, (and made famous by CSNY) entitled Woodstock.
The chorus of that song says:
“We are stardust,
We are golden,
We are billion year old carbon,
And we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden.”
As we look back at that Garden in scripture, we’re told that God created man from the dust of the earth. Now when you look at a planet in the sky, from our unaided perspective, it appears not as a planet, but as a star, reflecting the light of the sun. So maybe in that sense, we really are stardust. But we’re also told something very fascinating in that same passage and that is that “God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.” In other words, he obtained consciousness. He became aware. He could observe and think, and ponder and reflect. He could experience joy and sorrow. He could dream and hope. And he could love and hate. As scientist Hugh Ross has noted, one of the most perplexing questions that science and philosophy wrestle with is, “Where did consciousness come from?” And we’re told in the Bible that it comes from God, which may explain why we have such an insatiable yearning in our hearts, because we sense the voice of that divine spark calling us back to Him.
And this may also explain why that sense of rest and wholeness is so elusive, because after Adam rejected the counsel of God and sinned, he experienced the spiritual death of separation from the very One Who had given him life. And that is also why the most cataclysmic event in history, was when God Himself became man, and took on flesh and was born as Jesus of Nazareth. He later suffered as a man, and died as a man, nailed to a cross, to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we could be reconciled to God. So that we could literally “get back to the garden”!
Doesn’t that boggle your mind? That the very God who created man; the uncreated eternal God, who breathed life into man and gave him a soul, should become one of His own creations? And then allow Himself to be killed by His creation, so that He could give eternal life to all who would believe?
But it gets even better! Three days after his death, Jesus rose from the dead. And he arose in a glorified resurrection body that would never die again. That body was so glorious, so radiant with the power and splendor of God that His face literally shone like the sun. And for all who put their faith in Christ as Lord, Jesus puts that same glory into them, so that one day they too will be raised from the dead and shine with all the brilliance of heaven.
It’s one thing to be made of star dust, if dust is what you want. But it’s another thing to shine like the stars as the children of God, who Himself is Light, (and in Him there is no darkness at all).
As The Bible says about our future body:
“And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam (Jesus*) became a life-giving spirit… The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.” (1 Cor. 15:45,47-49)
So my friend, you are not an accident. You are not a mistake. You are not a random event in an impersonal meaningless universe. You were made for glory! You were made with a destiny! You were made to bear the image and likeness of God, and to shine with the glory of His love! And that is what Jesus offers to those who live by faith in Him.
But what of those who refuse God’s loving offer? What of those who are lost; who persist in their own self will; who embrace what is carnal, dark and selfish versus that which is pure and noble and good? Are they stars as well? Yes, they are stars as well. But sadly, scripture refers to them as “wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.”
God loves even these. He sent His son Jesus to die for them, that they also may be saved, for He desires all men to come to repentance and the knowledge of the truth. And He is only too happy to save them, if they will simply come to Him. It’s what we all hunger for in the depths of our soul; to be reconciled with the one true Lover of our soul; to glorify Him and to enjoy Him forever. No longer wandering stars, but stars who have found their place in the universe; who have laid hold of their destiny.
As the prophet Daniel has said:
“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
We are “dust”. And we are “stars”. And through Christ we can finally find our way, back to the garden.
(*my insertion)
The chorus of that song says:
“We are stardust,
We are golden,
We are billion year old carbon,
And we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden.”
As we look back at that Garden in scripture, we’re told that God created man from the dust of the earth. Now when you look at a planet in the sky, from our unaided perspective, it appears not as a planet, but as a star, reflecting the light of the sun. So maybe in that sense, we really are stardust. But we’re also told something very fascinating in that same passage and that is that “God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.” In other words, he obtained consciousness. He became aware. He could observe and think, and ponder and reflect. He could experience joy and sorrow. He could dream and hope. And he could love and hate. As scientist Hugh Ross has noted, one of the most perplexing questions that science and philosophy wrestle with is, “Where did consciousness come from?” And we’re told in the Bible that it comes from God, which may explain why we have such an insatiable yearning in our hearts, because we sense the voice of that divine spark calling us back to Him.
And this may also explain why that sense of rest and wholeness is so elusive, because after Adam rejected the counsel of God and sinned, he experienced the spiritual death of separation from the very One Who had given him life. And that is also why the most cataclysmic event in history, was when God Himself became man, and took on flesh and was born as Jesus of Nazareth. He later suffered as a man, and died as a man, nailed to a cross, to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we could be reconciled to God. So that we could literally “get back to the garden”!
Doesn’t that boggle your mind? That the very God who created man; the uncreated eternal God, who breathed life into man and gave him a soul, should become one of His own creations? And then allow Himself to be killed by His creation, so that He could give eternal life to all who would believe?
But it gets even better! Three days after his death, Jesus rose from the dead. And he arose in a glorified resurrection body that would never die again. That body was so glorious, so radiant with the power and splendor of God that His face literally shone like the sun. And for all who put their faith in Christ as Lord, Jesus puts that same glory into them, so that one day they too will be raised from the dead and shine with all the brilliance of heaven.
It’s one thing to be made of star dust, if dust is what you want. But it’s another thing to shine like the stars as the children of God, who Himself is Light, (and in Him there is no darkness at all).
As The Bible says about our future body:
“And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam (Jesus*) became a life-giving spirit… The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.” (1 Cor. 15:45,47-49)
So my friend, you are not an accident. You are not a mistake. You are not a random event in an impersonal meaningless universe. You were made for glory! You were made with a destiny! You were made to bear the image and likeness of God, and to shine with the glory of His love! And that is what Jesus offers to those who live by faith in Him.
But what of those who refuse God’s loving offer? What of those who are lost; who persist in their own self will; who embrace what is carnal, dark and selfish versus that which is pure and noble and good? Are they stars as well? Yes, they are stars as well. But sadly, scripture refers to them as “wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.”
God loves even these. He sent His son Jesus to die for them, that they also may be saved, for He desires all men to come to repentance and the knowledge of the truth. And He is only too happy to save them, if they will simply come to Him. It’s what we all hunger for in the depths of our soul; to be reconciled with the one true Lover of our soul; to glorify Him and to enjoy Him forever. No longer wandering stars, but stars who have found their place in the universe; who have laid hold of their destiny.
As the prophet Daniel has said:
“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
We are “dust”. And we are “stars”. And through Christ we can finally find our way, back to the garden.
(*my insertion)