I know there are not many people who read my blog but I figured I would write an explanation for why I have not written in a while anyways. I will be short and to the point. Lately, I have realized that I write a lot, I think a lot, and I pray a lot, but I do not do a lot. Now do not get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with writing, thinking, and even praying, but there comes a point when you can talk so much that you forget to practice what you preach.
Just like Paul said in Corinthians, all things may be permissable, but not all things are profitable. And also in Hebrews, we are called to not only lay aside every sin that entangles but also everything that hinders. I will still write, I will still think, and I will most definitely continue to pray, but I hope to live a life of prayer and be obedient by doing things I have been called to do.
When I update my blog in the future, I hope it is to share stories of lives being impacted, the Gospel being furthered, and lives surrendering to the cross of Christ. I appreciate all who read what I have to say and I encourage you to do the same as I am doing: make sure everything you do is for the glory of God and not distracting you from the joy of knowing God.
Now God had finished creating the earth and everything in it. He ended his work and called it holy. Yet this is the account of the creation of man in more detail.
God created everything in the earth and nothing he created had grown or fulfilled its full potential yet. But, there was nothing or no one to work the ground. And God created man in the image of himself and man joined creation as one of God’s designs, but he was different, because he was made in the likeness of his creator. Man learned to till the soil, water the plants, weed the flower beds, and prune trees. Man knew the fullness of God as he worked and worshiped through all things. As trees grew, flowers bloomed, and fruits and vegetables were harvested, man’s view of God’s beauty was deep and full.
As man walked with God, God showed him every little thing on the earth and man knew God and his entire splendor and all the glory that belongs to him. They might have walked miles upon miles. but there was no sense of weariness. There was a river which flowed out of the garden, the center of God’s creation. In the garden, the tree of knowledge of good and evil sat. And around this garden were gold and onyx that were pure and beautiful to the man, yet it was nothing compared to his creator.
And God took the man and placed him in the garden to work. God showed the man the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and he told him that he could eat of all the trees in the garden except for this tree. For if he ate of the tree, he would surely die. I believe that as God showed the man what was good and what was evil and he instilled in him the necessity to pursue only that which was good.
God saw the man and said it was not good for him to be alone. So God decided to make a helper suitable for him. God took every animal from the Earth and gave man the job of naming every creature. Thus, as man named each animal, it must have taken him a while. I believe that every species and every kind needed a name, and this must have taken a long time. Just naming all the different kinds of birds would have taken the man decades.
There are things that leave me with questions about this story though. For example, did man swim the whole ocean, or did the fish swim to him in order for him to name them? As man named, he must have wondered which one was the suitable helper God talked about. The extravagance of the uniqueness of the created animals must have blown man away and what may have been years probably felt like days to the man. Yet man did not tire.
Then God caused him to sleep; and as he slept, he took the man’s rib and fashioned woman. When God caused the man to wake up, the man must have seen the woman and knew that God created her because she was good and he knew that she completed him. Like any man would, he must have examined every part of her, and he knew that God was good. Man might have taken the woman on a tour of all that God had created. He might have shown her the mountains, and he must have been filled with awe for God over the woman’s beauty. He might have taken her to the lakes, waterfalls, and grasslands, and marveled with her at every little thing. He might have taken her on picnics with food and wine, and through all they did, they glorified their Creator together. And even though there was food and wine, there was no gluttony or drunkenness; because the man and woman knew that God was enough. And man also showed woman the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and told her what God had told him.
And all of this culminated in a song that the man sang in worship of his creator over the beauty of woman. Man declared that she was indeed like him and completed him. Man and woman were naked, yet they had no shame, jealousy, lust, or desire for someone better. The glory of God was known, and even though man and woman were naked, they had no shame. Their identities were found not in created things, but in the grandeur of the creator. Without him, they were nothing. But this is not how this story ends.
[this is my interpretation of Genesis 2]
In the beginning God created the universe and he also created the earth. It was filled with darkness, and there was no light, but the spirit of God was hovering over all the darkness that covered the earth. God said “Let there be light,” and there was light. He did not build it, he did not fashion it, he just spoke, and it was there, in all of its magnificence. Without light and darkness there would be no concept of days, but obviously when God created and set the sun on fire and caused the earth to spin, days occurred and kept track of all the greatness that would occur for years and years to come.
Nothing separated the sky from the earth. So, God delicately made the atmosphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and ozone layers to protect us from the radiation of the sun, the coldness of the night, and the rocks that fly around us. God said, “Let there be gravity,” and it was. So God created gravity for his glory and for the purpose of the creation that would come. Think about all the intricate details of this. Humidity, air pressure, hydration, chlorophyll, nutrients, and vitamins were all created to click together and work towards the goal of declaring the glory of God and to bring forth the joy of man – who was not yet created. And to think, all God did was say “let it be,” and it was.
Think of all the varieties of fruit, vegetables, trees, flowers, weeds, grasses, and shrubs. They were all made by God’s intricate design. God must have liked all of these things, because it is the first creation that he calls good. God harnessed the light in the sun and combined it with the spin of the earth and the tides of the moon so that we would have days, weeks, seasons, holidays, birthdays, and even play days. He designed them for his glory, for the joy of man. And God saw this as a very good thing.
God created all the different species of fish to swim in all the different bodies of water throughout all the different continents of the earth, as did he create all the different species of animals to roam the many different mountains, hillsides, plains, deserts, glaciers, and everywhere that you can imagine, as did he create all the birds of the air to fly many miles to show off his majesty and leave us in awe of the mystery of flight. God saw all these things as good and foreknew that he would use them all towards the goal of his glory and lead us to joy.
In God’s creation of all these things, he was completing the need for the land, the grass, the plants, the livestock, the fish, the birds, and every thing you can imagine. He created man with his breath. He did not speak him into existence. He took the ground and formed and fashioned man in his image to rule over these created things and have passion, devotion, care, and compassion for these things in order for man to worship the Lord greatly for all that is beautiful in all that he does and is.
God created man and woman so beautifully and perfect so that they would fit together and work perfectly for his purpose. They were designed to increase their joy together and to give God more glory. All these things that led up to this, the stratosphere, the pollen, the cedar tree, the cow, the salmon, God created to bring this man joy and expand man’s own view of the majesty of God in order to define his glory. And all this is very good.
Everything that man has ever created, conceived, or thought of is created by God and is used for God’s glory and to develop our joy in him. And this is not a bad thing. This is a good thing. But that is not how this story ends.
[this is my interpretation of Genesis 1]
I remember a day in high school when I decided to read the book of Jeremiah. The beginning of the book has become one of my favorite parts of scripture.
“Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all who I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” – Jeremiah 1:4-8 (ESV)
I remember reading this and knowing that I related with some guy who lived several thousand years ago. I am just like Jeremiah. I am just a youth. I lack the life experiences that I know will come through joy and happiness and through suffering and sorrow. But even though I am young, I should not be afraid of, or worry about, the next steps I take.
One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the goodness of God. Jeremiah knew that nothing about him was his own doing; he knew that he existed because of the grace of God. God forms us in our mothers’ wombs, he consecrates us, and he appoints us to be in ministry where and how we live our lives in order to show forth his glory. But one thing that I always take away from this passage is that even though Jeremiah knew all this, he still worried about things.
Jeremiah knew the goodness of God, he knew the purpose of his life, and he knew what God had called him to do – yet he had concerns, and he questioned God. I am glad I never question God. I mean, if I ever questioned God, my life would be so confusing. Too bad I am being sarcastic. I question God all the time!
Even though I have made it my aim not to question, with each new step I take, more often than not, I look back and I say with all of my life, “God, I do not think you have my best interest; I am going my own way.” And at this moment, I fall flat on my face and cry out and beg for him to do something.
This is when he takes me by the hand and says, “I have loved you from everlasting to everlasting, I am here, and wherever I lead you, I will be with you to the very end.” Please read what I say with your heart eager to hear from God. Do not just take what I say as something else Michael rambled about again. It is something important that God stresses over and over again in his Word.
We have no reason to worry if we are young or old, fat or skinny, black or white; the goodness of God extends way beyond the traits that define our lives. God’s goodness is in him saying, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to ALL I send you, you SHALL go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. There is no reason to be afraid, for wherever you are, I am with you to deliver you.”
God’s goodness extends beyond our own views of life. We see the brush, the canvas, the easel, the paint, and the artist, but God sees the finished work and how it all came together beautifully for his glory and for our joy. God knows that we will question and try and make up some lame excuse about how young we are, but he tells us to go and do what he says, and if we do so, we will not have to worry about anything, because God has always been with us and he will deliver us.
all my thoughts and ideas of you,
are not even close to who you are.
i am lost without you,
i am lost within you,
your beauty outweighs my lot.
every storm i am in,
fails the greatness,
of your everlasting grandeur.
i have run the streets,
flown across the world,
swam across oceans,
and sat down in my simple hiding spot.
yet, there you are, in all your magnificence.
your whisper is in the wind,
your power is in the sun,
your simplicity falls with every leaf,
yet, each declares your name to the nations.
every foot step shouts your name,
every smile proclaims your glory.
everything in this life manifests your fame.
shouting out your name,
oh, how joy is easily suppressed,
yet i have been designed:
to need you,
and only you.
- anonymous
