What is your self-image worth?

Psa 139:13 ?For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.

Psa 139:14 ?I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and thatmy soul knoweth right well.

Psa 139:15 ?My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Psa 139:16 ?Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

This passage extols God for his marvelous work in human creation and constitutes the most important periscope in Scripture on one?s self-image.

God prescribed the custom design for each individual to equip one for specific achievement and purpose.

Isa 43:7? Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

Rom 9:20? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

The Creator never finishes but continues to edify and build up the creation.

1Pe 5:10? But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Because as the Creator he receives glory or dishonor according to the fruits of his Creation.

Mat 5:16? Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

The importance of self-image is threefold:

(1) ?To realize ones own potential, one must see his worth as Gods creation.

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

(2) ?To relate to others, one must develop his own unique testimony.

1Pe 3:15 ?But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to givean answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

(3) ?To relate to God, one must honor him as the Creator Designer.

Rom 9:20 ?Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

Rom 9:21 ?Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

One can achieve a wholesome self-image by recognizing the lordship of the Creator in his life through a continuous and systematic quite time of reading the Word and Praying.

Psa 5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Through a careful assessment of ones priorities and by building a personal self-image according to Gods blueprint.

Mat 6:33 ?But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Col 4:5 ?Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

God does not assess personal worth as man does, for He looks beyond the bodily frame to the picture within.

1Sa 16:7 ?But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seethnot as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

1Pe 3:4 ?But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

Even the most obnoxious negative traits can be transformed by the Creator into positive qualities.

And even the most tragic circumstances can be overruled or redirected to good by the providence of God.

Rom 8:28 ?And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Because ones physical characteristics are prescribed by God and not by the accident of genetics, to criticize the creation is to blame the Creator.

Isa 45:9 ?Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strivewith the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?

Isa 45:10 ?Woe unto him that saith unto hisfather, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?

Now let’s look back at our main text:

Psa 139:13 ?For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.

Psa 139:14 ?I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and thatmy soul knoweth right well.

Psa 139:15 ?My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Psa 139:16 ?Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

The phrase possessed my reins, literally means Kidneys Verse 13

This means that God had formed all of Davids internal organs.

Cover Me literally means Knitted me together or join together Verse 13

Isa 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I amthe LORD that maketh all things;that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

My Substance, literally means body or bones Verse 15

Referring to the formation of the human body.

Made in Secret is equivalent to Made in the womb Verse 15

Curiously wrought literally means embroiderer, needlework in the lowest parts of the earth is poetic language for Davids formation in the darkness of the womb. Verse 15

My substance, yet being unperfect refers to the embryo. Verse 16 affirms Gods prior knowledge of Davids life all the way from the pre-embryonic stage through death.

The Bible thus avows that personhood exists from the very moment of conception.

This is a very important matter in the question of abortion. Abortion in order to cover up sin or to escape responsibility is nothing less than murder.

Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.