What God did for us: For the Church VII

God loved us and gave us everything to live in communion with Him. Not only He gave us body, soul and mind but also he gave us the natural world and His own insight and authority to see His majesty. Praising his Name and living in communion with Him is the definition of life.

“¹Then the Lord formed human beings from the dust
        and sent each of them back to it again.
² He gave them only a limited time to live,
        but he gave them authority over everything on earth.
³ He made them to be like himself,
        and gave them his own strength.
⁴ He made all other creatures afraid of them;
        he gave them authority over all the animals and birds.
⁶ He gave them their tongues, their eyes,
        their ears, their minds, and their consciences.
⁷ He filled them with knowledge and understanding
        and showed them the difference between good and evil.
⁸ He gave them his own insight
        to let them see the majesty of his creation.
¹⁰ They will praise his holy name
        and proclaim the greatness of all he does.
¹¹  He made knowledge available to them
        and gave them the Law as a source of life.
¹² He made an eternal covenant with them
        and revealed his commands to them.
¹³ They saw the splendor of his majesty
        and heard the glory of his voice.
¹⁴  He warned them against unrighteousness
        and taught each person how to treat others.”

(Wisdom of Sirach 17:1-14)

This translation is from The Orthodox Study Bible. You can download the iOS App from App Store. Or you can find it on Amazon in Kindle and Hardcover formats.

References

Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology, Elk Grove, California. The Orthodox Study Bible. Nashville :Thomas Nelson, 2008.