finding repetition

God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:10

When you are writing something for others to read, how do you emphasize that it is important? Do you use italics? Do you underline it? What if the language you were writing in did have those options (or, at least, could not be translated in that way)? What could you use to emphasize a thought?

A good option would be repetition. Repetition is a valuable means of creating emphasis on a specific thought or statement. The Bible is an excellent example of the use of repetition for emphasis.

How do you see repetition being used in this verse? In what other passages have you seen the Bible use repetition for emphasis?

If you notices, I have used both repetition and emphasis several times already. That is because it is an important concept that I want you to be mindful of when reading the Bible.

So, what qualities of God are being emphasized through the repetition in this verse? And why are they so important?

First, let us look at what is being repeated, along with where it is being repeated from.

If you will recall from Genesis 1:5, God gave a name to a part of His creation, using the phrase "God called." We see this phrase also used in Genesis 1:8. Multiple times in the story of creation, God intentionally chooses to provide a name to His creation.

But why does God pause each time to provide a name, rather than waiting until everything has been created? Why does He not just pause and the end and list all of the different names?
What is the reason for each being listed separately? For the repetition?

Again, I ask you to look back on what we learned from Genesis 1:5. God finds importance in a distinct relationship with each part of His creation. By separating the long list and repeating the process for each distinct part, God is making known His desire for relationship with every individual portion of His creation.
And He desires a very special relationship with mankind. One reason for the repetition through these passages is to remind us that, while we are all a part of mankind, God intentionally names each of us as we are created, because He wants to have an intimate relationship with every single one of us. God does not generalize His relationship with mankind; He makes certain that it is personal.

There is another piece of this verse involving repetition can also be found Genesis, specifically in Genesis 1:4. This involves God declaring what He has created to be "good." This term good can also be rewritten and pleasing to God or excellent of its kind. This term cannot be compared to our typical use of "good." It is nowhere near a definition akin to okay or fine. This definition is a much deeper use of the word, in understand that anything that is pleasing to God is the opposite of anything God would find dis-pleasureable (such as sin or ignoring Him in our lives). There is no gray area in what God enjoys. This good is something perfect and unblemished.

Again, why does God declare each individual piece good, rather than just the whole thing at the end of the process of creation? Why does He make certain to create repetition?
What does God bring to your mind when pondering these questions? Please share.
Perhaps it is to emphasize that each individual part was good. As it was created, each part could remain good on its own. Declaring solely the entirety of creation to be good could mis-imply that each part of creation absolutely needs the other parts in order to be good. While this is true for one aspect in particular (the creation of woman to bring good to the life of man), it is evident that this is not true for the whole of creation.

What is God showing you through this? How does this affect your knowledge of His interaction in your life? Who does this help you understand God to be?

Please share in the comments.

understanding obedience

The snow, the vapour, and the stormy wind fulfil His word. Are our acts and thoughts lighter and wilder than these -- that we should forget it? ~John Ruskin

And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. Genesis 1:9

Have you ever felt like God was calling you to do something? or telling you to act?
Did you listen?

When reading a verse such as this (a well-known, oft-read verse that sounds very similar to verses before and after it), it is very easy to fall into a trap. The trap I am talking about is that of simply reading and continuing on to the next verse, just as you would any other book.

The biggest problem, however, is that the Bible is not like any other book.

But how do you read it differently?

To start, you can recognize the importance that each sentence can have in your life. As the Word of God, it is as powerful and influential as He is powerful and influential. It is so important that it cannot be simply read -- it needs to be understood. Let's dive in!

So, what is actually going on in this verse? What is being described for us?

A simple description is: God told nature to do something, and nature responded by obeying.

It sounds simple and easy, right? God speaks, obedience follows.

It is, however, a bit more complicated. Let me explain what I mean.

If you were to walk to the edge of a river and tell it to reverse its flow, would anything happen? Surely you understand that the answer is 'no' (especially if you decided to try). There are a few reasons for this. First, man does not possess the authority over the entirety of nature (animals, yes) that would give any sort of importance to such a command. God, however, as the Creator of the entirety of nature, possesses the high authority and importance which calls forth obedience for His commands.

Another reason would be that water itself does not have the power to change its flow. It is governed by a set of laws (which we define as gravity and a bunch of other equations) over which it has no authority or control. Even if water tried to change its flow, nothing would happen unless someone with authority provided the power to do so. For nature (and all of creation), God is the one with that power.

Applying these thoughts to the verse we just read, what can we learn about God?

1. God holds the highest authority over everything,
   because He is the Creator of everything.
   
   
2. God's commands hold the highest level of importance
   and therefore should be followed
   
   
3. God has power that is above all "laws"
   God created all of the governing "laws" for creation. Just as He lives outside of His creation, He works and acts outside of the "laws" surrounding His creation.

Those are some amazing qualities of God to learn about. An important question, however, is of how this should affect our lives. Knowing these things we have learned about God and creation, how are we called to respond to God? How can this knowledge influence how we live?

Please share your thoughts in the comments.

If you notice, God did not need to repeat His command before it was followed. To make certain God's commands for our lives are followed just as resolutely, we need to be listening for His commands. To be certain we are not missing what God is saying to us, we must be actively listening for Him to speak. One great way to do this is to set aside prayer time where you cease your run-on monologue and wait for God to respond. God loves when you share your thoughts with Him, but a conversation requires both speaking and listening.
Another great way is to set aside a few hours (at least once a week, preferably) to ignore the busy-ness of life and spend alone time with God.

This verse can also help us remember that, when we are called to endure difficult or complicated situations, God is the one who needs to act for anything to happen. It is only through the power of God that we can succeed in fulfilling His commands.

Our weaknesses and struggles cannot hinder the plans of God.

having a heartbeat

If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees. ~ Hal Borland

God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning -- the second day. Genesis 1:8

So far in Genesis we have seen God create the heavens and the formless earth. We have seen God create light and define its separation from darkness. And we have seen the creation of a great expanse (which is possibly a description of the creation of our atmosphere).

That is a great and complex amount to have been created. But what does it mean to create something? More importantly, what does it mean to create life?

First, perhaps, we would need to define life. What do you first think of when you hear "the creation of life"? What first comes to mind as having been created?
One of the more broad definitions of life (dictionary.com) is simply stated as "living things collectively." Is it possible, then, for what has been created thus far in Genesis to be defined as having life?

For me, reading Genesis 1:8 provokes an interesting reaction. It is a verse that seems quite easy to ignore. Why, though, is that the case? I would say it is because we have read it before.
"And there was evening, and there was morning" -- the repetitive summary and defining layout of a day.

Repetitive is boring, right?

Wrong! Repetition in the Bible means it is something extra-important to pay attention to. For me, this particular repetitive phrase provides a feeling of rhythm. God not only made creation, but He gave it a rhythm. In a sense, God provided nature with a heartbeat.

What significance is there in saying that nature has been created by God with a semblance of life?
For one, it allows a deeper comparison between God's relationship with nature and His relationship with us. We have already seen how God has intentionally acted in nature: to take something defined as having no form and steadily shaped it into something that is functional, beautiful and awe-inspiring.

What do you think this shows about how God will act in our lives? Please share.

There are several places in the Bible where the correlation between God's provision for nature and provision for man is specifically stated (Matthew 6:25-34, for one). We are not even finished reading the first chapter of Genesis and God is already proving His intentional action and provision in our individual lives!

God orchestrates, in great detail, the life of His creation -- to grow it and allow it to reach its most beautiful and fullest potential. How much more time and energy our God will give to work and grow us -- as individuals and as a Christian community -- to the great potential for which He has intentionally created us! Praise God!

This proof that we are given is our basis for faith...primarily trust. What is it that you struggle with entrusting to God? How do you think an understanding of both God's power and His intentional provision can help you grow in trusting Him?
Trust in God is a primary part of faith that many people struggle with. It is so easy to get stuck in the difficulties of our lives and forget God's overarching faithfulness. He does not ask us to just give Him our Sunday mornings or our five minutes of prayer before bed. He asks us to give Him the entirety of our lives. Absolutely everything. That includes our trust.
I urge you to pray and work this week to let God grow you in your trust in Him.

What did God show you through this verse? I would love to know! Please share in the comments.

the creation of earth

And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water. So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. Genesis 1:6-7

When looking into the account of creation, it is easy to get caught up in the details of trying to explain how the Bible really does not contradict the scientific theories of how the world, the universe, and everything came to be. One theory is called the Big Bang Theory, which many Christians make certain to hotly refute. The theory that everything came from nothing at some random point back in time without the help of any outside force not only sounds ridiculous, it attempts to completely negate both the necessity and existence of God. It is possible, however, that in our zeal to refute this particular theory, we miss an incredible opportunity to explain how God and science are not a contradiction, but rather different vantage points of the same story.
According to the Biblical account of creation, the earth was initially formless, or some undefinable mass (Gen 1:2), and was surrounded by darkness. Then God created light, and after that separated the "water from water" with what is described as an "expanse." This word expanse is actually linked to the word in Genesis 1:1 for heavens.
It really is incredible how this account correlates with the scientific view of how the world, and the universe, began. After the unexplainable beginning of matter, the universe was first a hot and dense conglomeration of particles that quickly expanded outward into the distance (an indefinable mass). Over time, regions of matter gravitationally attracted and formed things like gas clouds, stars (the creation of light) and galaxies, among other things. The gaseous cloud that eventually formed the Earth was (like the rest of the universe) rotating. This caused the heavier particles to separate toward the center of the rotating cloud-sphere, leaving a thinner gas between those inner particles and those still shifting throughout the rest of the universe. In essence, the formation of the atmosphere separated the liquid-like mass of the Earth from that of the rest of the universe (separating water from water).

Truly, though, all of that is of little importance. Certainly, it can be a powerful way of showing God's necessary role in creation. It also works to further emphasize how God is not only outside of time, but that He created time, and thus has complete control over time -- all that we know of was created in 6 days. Surely there are arguments debating whether the term day truly refers to the set time of 24 hours or more along the lines of millions of years, but those arguments are of no importance in this instance. The Bible is not meant to teach us how the world was created, because that is something we could never hope to comprehend. There are other, far more important things these verses can tell us. (I am by no means saying that evangelism is unimportant. I am stating that the primary purpose of the Bible is more in line with the following statement.) The Bible is not just an historical account -- the Bible shows us valuable information about the qualities of God.

So, what do these two verses share about who God is?

For me, the combination of the phrases "Let there be," "So God made" and "And it was so" have an important message. There is no rash or uncontemplated action through God's process of creation -- He decides what He wants, and He makes it happen. God does not act impulsively, but decidedly. Additionally, the process of creation, rather than simply immediately causing all of creation to be as He envisions it in its finality, shows God's patience and care for all of His creation.

This last thought is something I would like for you to dwell on. In the midst of the problems of this broken world, it is easy to forget the love and care that God gives. It is also easy to forget that God does not work according to our personal time-line -- and then get frustrated when we don't see Him acting when we expected. We need to remember God's ultimate wisdom in deciding when and how to act, and trust that He will always choose that which is for our very best good.

the gift of a name

Do not say 'It is morning,' and dismiss it with a name of yesterday. See it for the first time as a newborn child that has no name. ~Rabindranath Tagore

God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning -- the first day. Genesis 1:5 (NIV)

The story of creation is one which most people know, even those who don't believe in it. It's one of the first lessons that a new believer learns, and one of the few sections of the Bible that most people quote (aside from John 3:16). It is so easy to simply skim over the entire first chapter of the Bible: surely you've heard or read Genesis 1 several times before. But the Bible should never be something we should read for the sake of reading, nor skim over. The Bible is intended to help us learn, understand and change.

Knowing this, let us take another look at our verse for this week. This is the first record in the history of creation where God verbally provides a name for a piece of His creation. What does this mean? Why does He not only separate the light from the darkness but also provide them each with distinct names? I have heard it said that there are in fact two different kinds of light mentioned in Genesis: physical and spiritual. However, as I do not have any understanding of that myself, I do not want to pursue that speculation at this time.
Why do you think God chose to name individual parts of creation? What does it mean to give a name to something? Please respond in the comments.

There are a few reasons for naming something you have created. One is like designing the cover of a book -- it helps to define a little about what is inside without the reader needing to actually reading. In other words, a name helps us understand a little of creation without needing to understand all of it. Another is related to a piece of advice I have heard for children growing up on farms: never name the farm animals. The reason for this advice is simple: once you have given something a name, you become much more attached to it and its well-being. I think both of these views can be a part of God's reason for naming His creation. I also believe it is an excellent emphasis of His authority over what He created.

So, why do you think God chose to name His creation? I believe the answer you find will continue to help you understand the character of God -- and how He wants you to have an intimate relationship with Him. I am certain there are several reasons - including some which none of us will ever understand - so I will start with a few that I have noticed.
God intentionally chose to provide a name to His creation. He knows that such an action creates a bond or relationship between the "namer" and what is being named. God actively decided to create, care about, and take care of His creation. Genesis 1:3 describes when God created light, Genesis 1:5 describes when God cared about the light, and the rest of the history of light is God taking care of the light He created. God is still taking care of light to this day!
What does this tell us? First, that God is intentional in His actions. Second, that God is active in pursuing His relationships with His creation. Finally, this tells us that God is actively interacting with His creation to this day.

This has a lot of implications for us as believers. It can help us remember that God will never be absent in this world, even though it may seem as if all is falling to pieces. We can certainly be reminded of how much God cares for us as individuals: He gave us each a name, too! God cares about our well-being and has far greater knowledge of what that really means. God also wants to be in a relationship with us as individuals. We are more deeply loved by God than we can ever hope to realize, because the depth of His care for us goes infinitely beyond our comprehension! How great is that?!

What can we do with this deepened knowledge of God's character and relationship with His creation?
Well, we can stop worrying about being perfect in everything -- we never have been and never will be. God's loving care goes beyond our imperfections to help us grow to the greatest well-being He has planned for us.
Going along with that: God made everything, so that means He is in control. No matter how busy or pressured or stressed we feel, it's not up to us!
God wants us to actively pursue Him in an intimate and personal relationship. He doesn't want us to wait for Him to act in our life, but rather to have us constantly looking for His guidance and seeking His presence. We don't need to wait for perfection in order to come into the presence of God: Jesus already took care of that!

How do you think this verse can impact your life? How can the knowledge of the depth of God's love change your relationship with Him and those around you? What else has God shown you through this verse? Please share in the comments.

Remember as you go: God created you with a purpose, and intentionally named you so that He might actively pursue a deep and intimate relationship with you. You are more valuable than you can ever imagine! May you rest today and always in the peace and strength of the love of God.

goodness and light

God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from darkness. Genesis 1:4 (NIV)

Throughout the description of the creation of everything (Genesis 1), the seemingly simple word 'good' is used to define God's thoughts toward His creation. There are two main connecting passages that I find beneficial to look at when trying to understand the term good: Psalm 104:31 and Psalm 119:68. These passages refer to God rejoicing in His works and the fact that God himself is good, respectively

When I first looked into this verse to find what it might tell me about God, I wrote:
'God has the power and the discretion and the authority to determine what is good.'
I still believe this sentence to be completely accurate. I would, however, like to go one step further. God is able to define what is good because He himself is the essence or embodiment of good. Because of this, I believe we can rightfully state that one of God's names (or primary attributes) is Goodness (or, more simply, Good).

What other names does God have? How do we know these to be true? Please share in the comments.

So, how do we define good? (other than stating that goodness is defined simply by God because he is the essence of good. That is called circular logic, and it is rarely a beneficial practice) Psalm 104:31 helps us a little in stating that which is good is something that causes God to rejoice. Looking at the Hebrew, it can be translated close to the word pleasant, as well. I believe an appropriate definition of good, then, is "any act, thought, or thing which is pleasing to God."

How can knowing that God is good be an influence in our lives? What truths can we state in knowing God's goodness?

First, we can state that, as God is good, He cannot be evil. Nothing that God desires or makes to happen can ever be with evil intentions, as that would be directly contrary to His nature.
We know that everything that happens will result ultimately in good, through God's plan. Even though you may often feel as if the world is falling apart around you, you can trust and rest in the knowledge of God's goodness, and that everything is ultimately leading toward His Plan.

How do you think the knowledge of God's goodness can impact your life? Please share in the comments!

turning on the lights

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Genesis 1:3 (NIV)

Repeatedly in Genesis 1, for each of the six days of creating, the Bible says "And God said, 'Let'" something happen, and then it came to be. It is interesting that, even as God has the power to create, He intentionally chooses to speak first and then have His power flow forth from His words. This is an incredible illustration for us. The words which God speaks have the power to bring forth absolutely anything -- creation, destruction, blessings, curses, healing of wounds, and even the transformation of a man's heart. And we have the privilege of daily access to God's words (the Bible!).

Reading the Bible is really something we should strive to do every day, even if it's just a handful of verses. Being in a relationship with God through prayer and meditation (or, if you don't like that term, simply sitting in silence, possibly marveling at God's creation, and intentionally waiting for God to speak into your heart) is also important. This is because we are not only opening our hearts to hear more of God's powerful words, we are acting on the words we have already heard about God and how He desires our relationship with Him to be above all.

So, how can we make certain God's words are powerfully affecting our lives and the lives of those around us?

1. intentionally read the Bible
   Set time aside from your busy schedule (be it once a week or every day) to read your Bible. Be intentional in not only reading the verses, but also asking God to help you understand and apply His words to your life.
   
   
2. pray to (and with) God
   There are several ways to characterize prayer. There is prayer to thank God, prayer of confession and repentance, prayer asking God to act (spiritually or physically), and prayer to praise God, primarily. As we speak to God in prayer, He wants to speak with us also. Prayer is like everyday conversations through the other relationships you hold, in that there is talking, watching and listening. All are important to maintain those relationships. Likewise, prayer is an important way to maintain and grow our relationship with God.
   (some good thoughts on prayer)
   
   
3. memorize scripture
   I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11 (NIV)
   
   
4. be surrounded by believers
   This does not mean you cannot or should not be friends with unbelievers.
   God uses Christian communities in amazing ways. Every believer has different gifts from God, and God speaks to each believer in a unique and special way. By surrounding yourself with other believers, you are regularly allowing yourself to be washed by God's words and the wisdom He has given to those around you.
   Not to mention, they can remind you for when you have been neglecting your relationship with God.

I am certain there are many other ways to bring God's word into your life, and I would love to hear your thoughts. I would also love to hear how God's words have blessed you and grown you recently!

If you are having questions about how to pray in a way that is in relationship with God, this site has a few ideas that might help.

May God's word fill you and grow you more throughout the remainder of your days.