Monday, December 8, 2014

THE FINGERPRINT OF GOD


We are all unique.

You know that, right?  

And I'm sure that most of you know that every single person has a unique and different fingerprint.  No two are the same.  But, did you know that although identical twins share the same DNA profile, they do not have the same fingerprints?  Yes, though they are similar, they are still different, unique to each.

I find this fascinating.

What I also find fascinating, and this is something that I just recently learned, is that no two dogs have the same nose print!  Yup, a dog's nose print is just as unique as a fingerprint, and no two dogs have the same pattern of ridges and lines.  Even puppies of the same litter are not the same when it comes to noses.

Interesting, huh?!

So, I've been pondering.

Since Jesus was born a human, then He must have had fingerprints.  And His fingerprints were unique to Him.  So, in all reality, He literally had the fingerprints of God!!

I wonder what His DNA profile was like.

We each have a unique DNA makeup, composed of chromosomes inherited from our mother and our father.  Since Jesus' father was God, I wonder if His profile looked different from a normal human being.

I know these questions have no real practical use, nor do they have any impact on faith, but I still find it intriguing to think about.

Everything that Jesus touched had the fingerprint of God on it.

He was literally made up of the very *stuff* of God.

No wonder He was so different, so unique, so perfectly tailored to become the Savior of the World!

And in every real sense of the word, because we are the image-bearers of the Creator, because we possess the Holy Spirit living within us, we are also stamped with the fingerprint of God upon our lives.

Thrilling, isn't it?!


I'm recalling the very beautiful work of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.  There is one section that shows God reaching out to touch the figure of Adam.  It's called "The Creation of Adam."  Though I am not a huge fan of Renaissance art, there's no denying that this famous image is spectacular.

But you know the reason I like it the most?

It's because the painting captures a moment, just as the fingertip of God is about to touch Adam.  

I ponder the posture of Adam's handit looks rather weak and powerless.  Contrasted to that is God's finger as it reaches out for the hand of man with great intention.

I get the feeling of *spiritual electricity* surrounding this moment.

I get the feeling that in the very next second, something of tremendous meaning and purpose and power and glory is going to be released as Creator makes contact with creature.

BOOM!

Man becomes alive, touched by the finger of God.  Irrevocably stamped with the fingerprint image of the Almighty.


It's the same with us.  You know why?

Because a little over 2,000 years ago, the hand of God reached out once again.

It reached all the way down from Heaven, and touched this earth with His Presence.

When I think about the birth of Christ, I am reminded of this painting.

Can you place yourself there in the manger?  Mary has strained and strived for a long time to birth her child.  She knows this child is different, but I wonder if she fully comprehends the impact of the whole story.

Tired, sweaty, in pain, she works so hard to have this baby, this boy, this child whom God has promised.

Think of the moment just before Jesus appears.

Something of tremendous meaning and purpose and power and glory was about to happen.  

The Almighty is on the brink of entering His creation, full of great intention.  The angels stand on tiptoes to see an extraordinary mystery.  And the heavens are hushed in awed silence.

And then…

The Child, the Son of God, makes His appearance.

The fingertip of God makes contact with humanity, with a lost and broken world, and with every single soul that will ever be born.  

God's fingertip reaches down for the rest of eternity to His creationin love, and grace, and mercy, and hope, and redemption.

I kinda get chills thinking about it.


So, here I am.  Here you are.  All these years later.

Pondering the mysteries of the nativity.  Contemplating the miracle of the manger.

Reaching our weak and powerless hands to the Almighty.  Stretching our fingers of faith to Him.  Seeking the contact of the Great One.  Waiting for the incredible encounter with His power and glory.

BOOM!

Heaven reaches down, and we are touched.


So, as we spend this Advent season remembering and preparing, let's never forget this.

We are stamped with the fingerprint of God.

We are connected to Him in the very *stuff* of which we are made.  We are united to His Spirit.  New creatures.  Each uniquely printed with our own individuality, but part and parcel of the Creator Himself. 

It's a wonder, and I find it fascinating.


Take a moment right now, look at your fingerprints.  (Or look at your dog's nose!!)

Think of Jesus, and His uniqueness.

Think of Jesus, and His humanity.

Think of Jesus, and His glory as God.

Think of His love, and grace, and mercy, and hope, and redemption.

Think of Jesus, and know…

You belong to Him.  

His fingerprint is on your heart.  


BOOM!





So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them.

And the LORD said,
"I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself."



*****(Lots of Scripture - but read and let The Story unfold!)*****



"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  And God blessed them." (Genesis 1:26-28, ESV)

"When God created human beings, he made them to be like himself." 
(Genesis 5:1, NLT)

"When Adam sinned, sin entered the world...But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift.  For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many.  But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ...For Adam's sin led to condemnation...But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:12, 15, 16-17)

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NIV)

"Now search all of history, from the time God created people on the earth until now, and search from one end of the heavens to the other.  Has anything as great as this ever been seen or heard before?" (Deuteronomy 4:32, NLT)

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6, NIV)

"'Don't be afraid, Mary,' the angel told her, 'for you have found favor with God!  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.  And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!'" (Luke 1:30-33, NLT)

"Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.  He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see...Everything was created through him and for him.  He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together." (Colossians 1:15-17, NLT)

"No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known." 
(John 1:18, NIV)

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14, NIV)

"Jesus shouted to the crowds, 'If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me.  For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me.'" (John 12:44-45, NLT)

"He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.  After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high..." 
(Hebrews 1:3, ESV)

"Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." (James 1:18, ESV)

"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature...[and] put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." (Colossians 3:5, 10, NIV)

"For we are God's masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)

"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us." (2 Corinthians 5:20, NIV)

"He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less." (John 3:30, NLT)



What does it mean to you to bear the fingerprint of God?



Linked with:

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BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

43 comments:

  1. Interesting "take" on this Sharon. Love the picture of God and Adam you created out of the painting on the Chapel. It is also good to know I am unique (although my wife would definitely say I am!) LOL

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  2. I learned something new about dog nose prints :) This gave me lots to think about Sharon. Never thought about Jesus and finger prints before, but you are right, he would have had finger prints since he had fingers. What an interesting DNA for sure he would be! I am glad that we bear the fingerprint of God, that he breathed his life into us and that he sent his son to rescue us!!

    betty

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  3. Just love the fingerprint of God. Touched our lives - in the flesh. Wonderful thoughts. Following you from Playdate with God. Would love you to link to Sunday Stillness. http://www.janiscox.com/sunday-stillness-is-this-your-time-to-say-yes-to-god/
    Blessings,
    Janis

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  4. I am amazed that the Creator became as one of the created to save us from our sins. We have such a wonderful merciful Savior. Thank you for sharing this today. I am stopping by from Beth's blog. :-)

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  5. So much to marvel at when we really stop to think about it all Sharon. God left no detail unthought about when he form us and created his plan to redeem us.

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  6. Thank you for once again bringing new light to our relationship with our Father...nobody does this any better than you, my friend. And who would have ever thought that all dogs have unique nose prints??

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  7. His fingerprint is on my heart, I like your words. I did not know that about dogs' nose prints; if they commit a crime we can track them down that way LOL.

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  8. Absolutely FASCINATING!!!

    Bless you Sharon and this tremendous GIFT of words penned by you, created by Him! This is spectacular!!! For me, so much intrigue in this, it may be my favorite one yet! Thank you for sharing and also hand picking the perfect scriptures of tHIS sTORY!

    Can I ever fathom the immensity of this human and God exchange? The birth of our Precious Savior and His earthly chosen mother, Mary! Incredible!

    Looking at my dog's noses and my fingerprints (each one on file in this country on my visa paperwork to be here){I'm not a criminal} ... in a new, fresh and amazing perspective of His Grace and Omnipotent, Omniscient, All Powerful
    Fingerprint and Being of God, "God with us" ... how beautiful this is!

    Love how Debby Ray has put this in relationship to Our Abba (how I fought to arrive at the comment without reading the previous, but in one glance I caught hers)... so yes, Thank you for this new light on Immanuel! Marveling how His heart, His Fingerprint and my heart have been touched (by your words too and recent multiple comments at my place)...

    {by the way, have you read a book on "The Fingerprints of God(s)"?} This is what came to mind when I opened to your blog title} There are 2 (maybe more). But the one I was thinking of is by Jennifer Rothschild. And the other is by Graham Hancock (which adds the 's' and is more on earth's lost civilizations.

    Impresionante Sharon! You're as genuine as your unique fingerprint in the way you pen these posts with your fingertips ... and gift of thrill as you share God with us.

    Many blessings, thanks and prayers sent with a hug as you draw near to Him this season ... love you Sharon,
    Peggy (sorry I'm kinda late today, you'll see why in your mail, all day til now with tech issues and until 3 am before that)

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    1. who can believe I forgot anything??? I meant to ask "what about paw prints?" :) I got carried away again, I guess

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  9. Your lovely post is unique and challenging with new thoughts. I do know Jesus is unique and his DNA is from His Father in Heaven. When Adam sinned, his DNA changed from sinless to sinful. This is why no decedent of Adam could become the blood sacrifice, because the blood needed to be holy and sinless. This fact alone is the reason Jesus needed to be born or a Virgin and not have tainted blood from Adam's linage. Science tells us the child's blood DNA is from His father, and in this case Jesus's father was God. Amazing how God planned all this so that the Last Adam would take the punishment for the first Adam and for all his seed. Thanks for sharing with us here at Tell me a Story.

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  10. The only way I can respond back to you, sweet friend is to reply a post on your own blog. If you feel so inclined to share your email with me I'd appreciate it :)

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  11. Sharon, I loved this post; it really brings forth the scale and majesty of what Jesus did, what he IS, and the gift that God gave us in Him.
    There's a song ~ The servant King~ with a phrase that I have loved for a long time..
    'Hands that flung stars into space
    To cruel nails surrendered..'
    Thank you for reminding us of the magnitude of our God!
    And dogs' noses are always good, anytime : )

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  12. Hi Sharon! I love that 'boom!' because God's touch is so life changing. It reminds me of the earth-shaking coming of God to the earth. What a beautiful study on the amazing love of God to share himself with us.
    I think your thoughts on Jesus as a human are wonderful! He was truly man and truly God. Wouldn't it be interesting if they had DNA profiling back in the day? I think we all hunger to know him more and more! This would be a way to help with that.
    But we do know that he is love and peace. That touch of God to Adam passed all that to us. May we be good caretakers of that grace!

    Thank you for your insightful words :)
    Ceil

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  13. I didn't know dogs even had nose prints! ha. My crazy dog has developed a scar across her nose from learning to unlock her gate herself. Smart? Or not? I'm not sure.

    The fingerprints of Jesus. Wow. I'm not sure I've ever thought about that literally, but I love the idea of his fingerprints on everything now!

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  14. Very powerful, Sharon. God is in every detail..even nose prints of a dog. Wow. His fingerprints.....DNA......and in us...new creatures......so much packed in here, Sharon. Bless you.

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  15. I loved your thoughts here. We share the same spiritual curiosity it seems. I wonder things like you mentioned, such as the DNA of Jesus.

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  16. Awesome Sharon, as always. Wishing You a very Happy and Blessed Christmas my special blogger friend. Hugs Nita x

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  17. I totally got the same chills as I was reading this - I've been to the Sistine Chapel and I've seen the painting, The Creation of Adam. And it's like being privy to this incredible moment of God reaching out and giving life. I love that I read this this morning and I can carry this around with me all day.

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  18. "We are stamped with the fingerprint of God…" That is an amazing thought. That makes me think of the perfect blood that was shed to save our souls… Unfathomable love and mercy...

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  19. Loved this! I, too ponder things that don't have a lot of spiritual significance. But oh, what comes out of those ponderings! Great post. I'm your neighbor at Coffee for Your Heart.

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  20. Didn't know about our dogs nose prints. :) Loved this so much, Sharon. Such good words to sit here and ponder on. I love how you do that. You always leave me wanting more. Grateful for you. Much love. xoxo

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  21. Boom! Loved this, Sharon. Enjoyed the whole thought process of Him entering our world. Reminds me of the scripture when John leapt in his mother's womb when Jesus (still in His mother's womb) entered the house. I love the whole picture of the two infants, still inside their mother's wombs, knowing and being known. Have a blessed day!

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  22. Ah, yes, uniqueness. People seem to sometimes think being different is a bad thing, but we are supposed to be set apart from the world. I'm not sure there is anything more unique. And then within the body of believers, we each have our personalities and experiences that make us different from each other. God uses all that for his glory. Thanks for sharing this at #ThreeWordWednesday.

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  23. Love the way your passion for Jesus just oozes from every word here, friend. There is NO DOUBT you are covered in his fingerprints.

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  24. It must just be me and music - when I saw the title of the post, the lyrics immediately came into my mind:

    "...and I can see the fingerprints of God
    When I look at you
    I can see the fingerprints of God
    And I know it's true
    You're a masterpiece
    That all creation quietly applauds
    And you're covered with the fingerprints of God"

    Steven Curtis Chapman nailed that one - we are all covered with his fingerprints:

    "Never has there been and never again
    Will there be another you
    Fashioned by God's hand
    And perfectly planned
    To be just who you are
    And what he's been creating
    Since the first beat of your heart
    Is a living breathing priceless work of art..."

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  25. Nose prints, DNA, fingerprints... wow! I so marvel at the creativity of our LORD. Thanks for the awe and wonder reminder. :-) I''m also delighted to find your blog!

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  26. Boom, friend, BOOM! I love this (as usual... I have come to expect humor, profoundness and chills every time I stop by-- which is always true.)

    Our brains/hearts really are on the same wave lengths because I wrote a post this week for the new year on a very similar topic. :-)

    Keep up the great work, Sharon-- you are touching a lot of hearts!

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  27. Neat thoughts! I never really thought about Jesus' fingerprints, but that is such a wonderful thought.

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  28. What an awesome, inspiring, and exciting train of thoughts. Yes! He is amazing! There is so much to marvel at. Last year I participated in the Wonderstruck Bible study by Margaret Feinberg - and I couldn't help but feel that awe and wonder as I read this post.

    Thanks so much for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop).

    Wishing you a lovely weekend.
    xoxo

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  29. "spiritual electricity" - love this description! I've sometimes felt it as if I'm connected to God by the thinnest strand of spiderweb for just a moment - just enough to feel that electricity, but the connection is fragile, tenuous, dangling, leaving you wanting more.

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  30. awesome thoughts Sharon. Boom, you hit it all right on. Hugs.

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  31. Love your post! I did not know that about dogs noses...but now I do and will have a fun fact to share at dinner tonight :)
    More importantly, your message was beautiful. God is amazing and really is in every detail!
    Many Blessings!

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  32. You know Sharon - most nights or a lot of nights - when it has been rough - which for me is a lot - lol - I just talk to God and tell him - if I could just touch him with my finger - like the woman did - I wouldn't ever want or need anything else - I would be healed. Do you understand that?

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  33. Love this, Sharon. So grateful for that miracle in the manger on Christmas day.

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  34. That is so cool! I never thought of Jesus' fingerprints. :)

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  35. Oh my how I love that boom and the fingerprint that God has marked on my heart to make me His. I am so happy for your pondering and the questions that arise from one simple idea-fingerprints. Thank you for linking up with The Weekend Brew.

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  36. Wow, Sharon. Dog noses and DNA. This time of the year I don't focus so much on Matthew or even Luke, but Philippines 2 - Jesus was found in human form. I am humbled...such DNA - such truth.

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  37. Thanks for this great post and for linking up at Good Morning Mondays, very interesting point on the DNA of Jesus, very thought provoking, blessings

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  38. I've always loved the picture of the hand of God touching the hand of man. So grateful for His willingness to imprint us with His touch!

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  39. I've been very contemplative this Christmas season, but I have to admit I haven't thought about Jesus' fingerprints! That's awesome. Great reflection. Thanks so much and merry Christmas.

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  40. lol. I didn't know dogs had noseprints! You learn something new every day!

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  41. What an awesome thing to contemplate in this Advent season! Love!

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  42. Oh, dear friend! What a wonderful, awe-inspiring post! It is amazing to me that Jesus cared enough to come to this sin-cursed world and to reach way down to me...so unworthy, so undone, so sin-saturated...to touch my life with His Divine, holy fingerprint! I had never thought of this in this way, and I SO enjoyed reading this post. God just speaks so fluently and so thoroughly through you. You are so precious and such a dear blessing to me! Love you, sweet friend!!

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"So [I] have been greatly encouraged in the midst of [my] troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. It gives [me] new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord. How [I] thank God for you!" (1 Thessalonians 3:7-9)

Thanks for your comments - it is such a joy to be sharing my journey with friends like YOU!

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