page two

So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." And there was evening, and there was morning - the fifth day. Genesis 1:21-23

It has been over a month since my post on Genesis 1:20. That's a pretty long time to leave a blog stagnant...

My reasoning is fairly simple. Nearly every day I stared at Genesis 1:21, and had absolutely no idea what to write about. Genesis 1 has so much repetition, I feel like my blog is some sort of broken record! The story of creation contains a process that is repeated over and again: God spoke into creation, added more detail, called it 'good' and the day was completed.

By day five, I have already said the same things four times over! (so it seems)

Then I realized something simply daunting: day five has brought me to page two of my Bible.

Page two!

This blog has been in existence since July 23, 2010 -- almost exactly eleven months ago.
In eleven months, I have managed  to read (and analyze) one page of my Bible.

Granted, I have not blogged every day; not even every week. Regardless, it is obvious that my one-thousand-two-hundred-and-twenty page Bible can not be fully read (in this manner) in even ten of my (potentially 100-year) lifetimes.

Why, then, will I continue in this pursuit which can never be completed?


Understanding God is a process that will never be completed.

I want to understand God! In all probability, that is completely impossible. At the very least, however, I want to understand far more than I do today. How else might I know how to praise Him?

Look once more at the three verses above. God created every creature in the ocean (even those we do not know about) and every bird in the sky.


If you are not amazed, you should open your eyes.

speed of life?

Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens." Genesis 1:20

These past few weeks have been quite interesting for me. They have been filled with stress, homework, projects, deadlines, strange sleep hours, poor food options, and a general sense of limited time. Life has been pushed along at a steady pace that I would consider far too quick, and time has evaded all sense of opportunity for rest in exchange for accomplishing mounting lists of ToDo's.

Then yesterday I took my last exam as a undergraduate college student.

 

Have you ever been in that position? Do you remember how it felt?

I have yet to hear how I've done in all of my classes, but a sense of great relief and peace is steadily creeping its way up my spine to relax my far-too-tense shoulders.

Why is it so common for us to stress? What could possibly be so worrisome in our daily lives that nearly everyone experiences stress?

God's word is an amazing reminder of His overwhelming power. He created the creatures of the sea (even the ones we have yet to discover) and the birds of the sky. He created every single one of them.

His power stretches over every part of their livelihood, and does so for us as well.

Why, then, do we still stress?

Just a little something to think about. Please leave your thoughts or comments below. If you have any questions, I would love to email with you.

the purpose of community

God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:17-19


Think back to your last week. In the midst of everything you had to accomplish, what was the biggest thing weighing on your mind? What was the biggest thing weighing on your heart?
Perhaps it was a test in one of your classes that you were unsure of how to prepare for. Maybe a project deadline felt like a cloud looming darker over your head as each day passed.


Whatever it was, it certainly did not help you accomplish anything else.


Think again to this last week. Was there a time that you felt God calling you to do something? Did you feel a tug at your heart or receive verbal encouragement to pursue something difficult?
What purpose did you feel God calling you to?
And what was the greatest struggle keeping you from following that call?


This verse in Genesis is essentially a repeat of what God had already spoken in the verses  before. That does not mean, however, that nothing more can be learned.


Read again the verse at the top of this post. God made the stars, the sun and the moon. He set them in the sky with their own special place. He gave them great purposes to fulfill.


Think about that: He gave the purpose to them.


Have you ever been afraid of pursuing something because you felt alone in the call? Or because you thought it could not be accomplished without help?


This set of verses is meant to remind us that God never calls us to something without also providing others with the purpose of being our help. We are not made to be alone, and in the same way God does not ask us to work alone.


While it is hard to have hope when you do not yet know who will be your help (or 'partner in crime', if you wish), it is important to remember that God is the one who provides. Whether it be a person to be physically present with you when you are working, to do the same work with you, or someone to serve as an encouragement through everything you pursue, God will never leave you to be alone in those things to which He calls you.


A call to purpose is not for the individual, but to the community.
Be in community with one another, and grow one another to achieve the purposes for which He has created you.

You are unique and blessed in the purpose for which God has made you, but you are most certainly not alone.


What has God been calling you to? How can we as a Christian community help encourage you to pursue God's path for your life? Please leave your thoughts and comments below.

the light of day

God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. Genesis 1:16

What do you think the Bible refers to when it says that "God made the two great lights." What are these great lights that are being described?

More than likely, your first thought is that these great lights refer to the sun and moon.

I would venture to say that this presumption is correct, and many scholars agree.


It might be good, however, to look back upon past verses in Genesis. This is not the first moment in which light is spoken of in the creation story. (Gen. 1:3, Gen. 1:4, Gen. 1:5)


What do you believe it means for 'light' to be created at two distinctly different times?


First, I think it becomes quite obvious that they are not the same thing simply being created twice. But to understand a little further, I find it important to look at the original Hebrew of the words we are comparing.


In Genesis 1:3-5, the root Hebrew word used for light is 'owr. This word has many, many different definitions. There are definitions focusing upon physical light, but there are also definitions such as "light of life, light of prosperity, light of instruction" and other such non-physical lights.


In Genesis 1:14-16, however, the root Hebrew word used for light and lights is Ma'owr. Obviously, these two Hebrew words have a connection, but they are rather different. The definition of Ma'owr simply means "light" or "luminary." This means that the light described in the verse we just read purely relates to physical light (as we had presumed).


How, then, are we supposed to view the light described in Genesis 1:3-5? Looking at the Hebrew, what do you think God created in these verses?


Personally, I believe it is difficult for us to fully know. Looking into the Hebrew of the words darkness and night for Genesis 1:3-5 and Genesis 1:14-18 yield the same two Hebrew words (Choshek and Layil, respectively), both of which have physical and non-physical connotations.


If we conclude that we might never find this answer (unless we choose to ask God when finally in His presence), what then are we to learn from this verse? What is declared about God?

Read the verse again. What stands out to you?


The Hebrew word for govern, Memshalah, is also described as rule or authority. We have seen already that God has the power to create and the power to name. In this verse, God is not only showing that He himself is the Ultimate Authority, but that He has the power to grant authority.


How does this affect your view of who God is? Has God ever placed you in a position of authority? Did you see it that way -- as authority that God had granted or given to you? How does that impact the way you treat your position of authority?


Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Purpose in Time

And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on earth." And it was so. Genesis 1:14-15

How many times have you heard the first two chapters of Genesis?
And how often have you read them simply as a quick "story" of creation?

This verse shows us a few things about God's power. He is the Creator of the seasons, the days and the years. He determined how to define time with stars in the heavens. Knowing that He created the definition of time, we can know that God is outside of time.

But what does it really mean to be outside of time? Does God get to see all of time at once? What do you think that would look like?

Please leave your thoughts and comments below.

God is the One who has the power to define our understanding of time. He has control over our understanding of the length of our life, even our understanding of the time we need to be patient through. He can help us with that understanding, because that is the power He holds.

God also has the power to give purpose. We know that He has the power to create, as He is our Creator, but this verse shows His power beyond merely creation. God made the stars in the heavens with a specific purpose: to light up the earth and to mark as His definition of time.

Every created thing has a purpose. Reading this verse, we see that the stars' purpose was defined and ordained even before the creating actually happened.

So as the "lights in the expanse of the heavens" have a purpose, intentionally and specifically declared by God, we even more so, created with the unique blessing of being made in the image of God, were intentionally made with a purpose that was determined even before we were created.

Everyone struggles at times with feeling like they cannot find their place, or their purpose, in life. Knowing fully that God gave you a purpose even before you were born, have enthusiasm in everything you pursue, so the glory of God might manifest itself in your life!

Where do you struggle in finding your purpose? How might you rejoice in knowing your God-given purpose can never be lost or taken away from you? Please leave your comments below.

the life of a painting

Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with see in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning -- the third day. Genesis 1:11-13

How many things do you think God can show you about in Himself in three little verses?
You just might be amazed!

What's interesting to see is that many of God's qualities are repeated through several of the verses beforehand. As we've seen before, repetition means that it is something important for us to notice!

Here are a few of the things God shows in the verses above:

• God's words have power
• God has authority over all creation
  
  • specifically over nature
• God has the authority to determine what is good
  
  • thus, God is Goodness
• God is intentional with His creation
• God designed and made all of the beautiful, intricate and detailed plants in one day

As you may have noticed, we've seen several of these topics before! God continues to repeat Himself to help us remember the important points, such as remembering that God has the highest authority, the ultimate power and is the foundation of goodness! These are amazing things for which we praise and thank Him!

Today I wanted to focus on the last bullet point. God designed and made all of the beautiful, intricate and detailed plants in one day.

Certainly, people can argue that all of the plants he created were designed long before He created them. (personally, it doesn't make it any less amazing!)

Also, not everyone agrees that the seven days of the Creation Story are literal. I'm going to respond to this with a quote from a friend of mine: "Who am I to limit God in the vastness of His power? If He wants to make everything in a matter of days, who am I to say He can't? That's like trying to put God in a box."

With that settled, I want you to play a little game with me. I want you to stop everything else you are doing to try this with me. Are you ready?

I want you to imagine yourself about to paint a picture of a flower. You can use the one at the beginning of this post, if you want.

Now, you don't need to design the flower, because it already exists. However, if you had taken the photo yourself, you would have had a say in the design of the layout. In this way, you are able to design before creating your painting.

Imagine you wanted to paint this flower as beautifully and as detailed as possible. You want to show as much light and life and loveliness of this flower as you possibly can.

How long do you think this would take? How long would you need to create this beautiful painting?

A few weeks? A few months?

Longer?

The Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo Da Vinci, is considered to be a very remarkable painting, created by a very skilled artist. This wonderful painting is said to have taken nearly four years to complete!

What, however, does all of this have to do with the verses we are looking at? I want you to try and follow my train of thought.

God, in a sense, has made millions of beautiful, three-dimension moving paintings; paintings that are truly alive!

If God can create and grow such beautiful and detailed and amazing "seed-bearing plants and trees" in one day, imagine how amazing and genuinely beautiful He can grow you to be if you give Him your whole life to achieve it!

How amazing and powerful and wonderful is our God!

If you have any thoughts or comments, I would love for you to share! Let us know what God is showing you through His word, so we may also grow closer to Him!

God bless!

creating for life

Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. Genesis 1:11

Strange as it may seem, this short verse has a lot of information packed into it! Join me in finding out what it is.

To start, let us look at the description of what God was creating: plants.

When God first designed the plant, we know that He designed it to have the detail that still exists today. He designed it entirely to its finish, rather than adding or subtracting random pieces as time went along.
How do we know this? Well, at the very start of creation, God already decided (or designed) how the plants would have a life cycle. From the very start, He created them to have seed.

In this verse, seed is used as the same Hebrew word for offspring. God decided, at the very point of creation, how He would continue the line of life. The plants were created in a way that allows the natural continuation of the creation of life. Each plant was created in its own uniqueness, and the provision of the seed allows that uniqueness to be perpetuated into eternity.

God wanted life to change and grow and continue onward from how He originally made it. In this, we can understand that creation was not designed to remain constant or still. The phrase "change is inevitable" is not only true, it is an integral part of the foundation of the world around us.

Amazing, right?

Well, now I would like to look at a set of phrases we have seen a few times before. I'm referring to the collection of "Then God said" and "And it was so."

I have already written a little about the importance of these phrases relating to Genesis 1:3 and Genesis 1:6-7. Why, however, are we seeing them again? What is the importance of the further repetition of this phrase?

Perhaps it is simply that God seeks to remind us of His infallible plan. Every decision for creation has been fully and thoroughly contemplated prior to action.

Isn't it amazing to know that every part of our lives has been created in detail for a purpose? That every single part of who we are (even perceived flaws) has been specifically designed by God to be that way and no other?

You have been created intentionally by a God who seeks intimate relationship with you. And you have been created perfectly according to His detailed plan.
Nothing you do (or forget to do) can ever change that.
Amazing.