by Pastor Daniel

Introduction
To the family of FCC, I wished to thank you for praying for me particularly the past month as I was away in Hawaii with the Haggai International.
 
Being thankful, with all that God has blessed me, my gratitude also goes to the family in FCC where I always feel the sense of belonging and being remembered.
 
I turned to my devotions that first morning and here are some thoughts that help us focus on God and adopt an attitude of thanksgiving.
 
Psalm 8:4, “What is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you care for him?”
 
The Gracious ways of God
When we think of our status today - we either think too elatedly or simply too “humbly”.  The point is this - what is the reality in our existence?  How does God look at me?  How do I look at myself？
 
When we understand that perspective, we then see the reality of our own existence.  There are a few things here in this psalm that address the issue.
 
Mindful of Man
That God is always mindful of us - “He cares for us”, says the Psalmist.  Time and time again I cannot help but to think of God’s graciousness and love towards mankind. 
 
There are really no religions in the world that specifically says that God loves us or cares for us.  There is instead always a pressure that we must perform before we would ever dare think of God’s favor and blessing upon mankind.
 
The reason is simple, because deep in our hearts, there is nothing we can boast except that we are sinners in the eyes of God and man. 
 
That was perhaps what the Psalmist saw when he made the conclusion, that gave little reason why God would even look at man and yet, this God was mindful of him and cared for him.   Put it very simply, it is all on God and nothing on us.  It is God who thinks of us and cares for us.
That is the very foundation of our perception of us in relationship with God.  Before we even think of God, God is mindful of us.  That is the greatest difference in Christianity.  In most religions, it is about man’s search for God but here we have God searching for man.  Jesus said, “I came to seek and save the lost.”
 
2.  Magnified of Man
His love stretches not just in that tinkling feeling of love but a display of his magnanimous grace.  In verse 5, it says that while he made us a little lower than the angels, he crowned us with glory and honor.
 
Again this is all on God and nothing of man.  If today, there seems to be any goodness, any talents, any praises from man - we must constantly recognize that it is all on God.   He was the one who “magnified” us.  He was the one who crowned us with glory and honor.  He was the one who made us righteous based on what Jesus had done.  He was the one who brought about that significant transformation that we now receive the praise of man.
 
This perspective brings to us two things, namely, a humble outlook of ourselves.  There is nothing we can boast or should be boasting about.  Then it brings to us a humble display of our person.  The problem with us is that whenever we think we are good, we become proud.  That was the downfall of Lucifer.  That is our potential downfall too. 
 
It boils down to two honest questions:
“Am I always downcast when I look at myself?” (God has crowned us with glory and honor) and, “Am I striving to project myself because I think I am good?”  (What is man.....)
 
3.  Meaning to Man
Lastly, what is the meaning in life that God brings to us? When we look at creation, besides running the course of nature’s balance, there is really no other purpose. 
For example, we ask, “What is the meaning of life for the dogs, cats, etc?”  We could not find a real significant meaning really to their lives.
 
However, when it comes to man, we constantly ask ourselves and also ask one another, “What are we living for?”
 
The psalmist discovered that all our meaning in life is ultimately linked up to God himself.  It is dominion over God’s creation.  It is service to the Lord.  When God put man in the garden, it was to tend the garden that God made.  It is a placement of favor and pleasure - not toil and labor.
 
Sin may have corrupted that purpose but grace has brought us back.  We ask today the same question - what is ultimately God’s purpose for my life?  The answer lies here - are we with all that God has done in our lives, recognize that God has done all these so that we can serve his purpose.
 
We tend the “garden” of God in that we bring all things and all people to the recognition of God as Creator, as Redeemer, as the Lord of all.
 
Conclusion
Let us rejoice in the fact that God loves us, created us, redeemed us and made us for a great purpose in a personal relationship with Him.